


On-Air

by moriin



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Radio, College, Comedy, F/M, Fluff, Light Angst, Radio, Romantic Comedy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-21
Updated: 2018-02-09
Packaged: 2019-02-18 02:45:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 23,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13090752
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moriin/pseuds/moriin
Summary: Under the pseudonym Honey, you are the host of the most popular radio show in the city called Honey Time Radio where you give advice about relationships, school, and life in general. When it comes to your own love-life, however, you don’t have the best luck, and you don’t even follow your own advice!So what happens when you get a call from a listener who’s asking you advice on how to get to your heart?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Extremely dialogue heavy! Mentions of alcohol and there's swearing.

“Good evening, everyone. It is 9:48 on a Friday night and I am but twelve minutes away until I am free and only an hour and twelve minutes away until I have a drink in my hand. If you’re just tuning in, then you just missed my totally normal conversation with caller number three about her recurring ‘sock on the door handle’ dilemma with her roommate,” you sigh into the mic as a nostalgic smile appears on your lips. “I didn’t think people still do that stuff! I haven’t heard of a sock on the knob since my freshman year in college. You’d think people would be courteous enough to just shoot you a text, but nope, they can’t even do that, huh? Caller number nine, what do you think?”

“I think it’s just lazy and rude! I’d be pissed if I came home after a long night of studying at the library and see a damn sock on my door. If I were her, I would not give a fuck and just walk in.”

“Whoops, we’ll have to bleep some of that,” you chuckle. “Thanks for your input, number nine! Caller number thirteen, how about you?”

“I mean, I’d probably just go to neighbor’s dorm or somewhere else… I don’t really see a big deal about it, you know? Or she should just get back before her roommate does! Or tell the RA?”

“Number thirteen, I think we all know that no one likes a snitch,” you tease. “But thanks for your input. Anything to say, number twenty-two?”

“Just join them.”

“ _Whoa_ ok, that’s the end of that,” you said, cutting number twenty-two off before they could go further. “I think we have time for one more caller. You’re on the line, what can I do for you?”

“Hello, hi! Oh wow, I’m so nervous,” your caller giggled cutely. “S-So, there’s this boy…”

“There’s always a boy.”

“Yeah, right? So there’s this boy and I really like him. A lot. But I’ve never really said more than five words to him at a time. He’s just so cute that I get so flustered and I have to like, leave the lecture hall right away. He’s going to this party that I’ll be at tonight, and I really want to talk to him, but I don’t know what to say? Or do? Do you think I should drink before I talk to him? You know, liquid courage? Or-or how about -”

“Whoa, ok slow down! Take a deep breath,” you ushered. “Everything’s going to be fine. You don’t need a shot of some cheap vodka or a sip of some diluted jungle juice to get you through a conversation with this guy. Wait, is this your first conversation with him?”

“Yeah…”

“… Ok, maybe like, one shot will do the trick. But you know, I’ve definitely been there. I think the majority of us listening have definitely been there, too. It can be nerve-wrecking and terrifying, I totally get it. But once you start the conversation, once you get the hang of it, I assure you it’s smooth sailing from there. But you can’t be one of those people that stares him down waiting for him to start the conversation with you, you know? _You_ gotta be the one to initiate. Show him you’re interested.”

“What do I even say? What do I talk about with him?”

“Definitely not school, the weather, his exes. Those are the three no-nos. I’d say… Start off by asking about him. Ask if he’s into the kind of music that’s playing, or what potato chip flavor should you choose to eat from the chip bowl, or if he’s a dog person or a cat person. If you approach him and you’re really way too nervous for a conversation at that moment, a usual go-getter is to ask them to play beer pong. Guys love beer pong for some reason. I don’t get it, but hey, if it works, right?”

“What if he says no…?”

You sigh lightly, briefly thinking about how many times people have asked you that question. “Then it wasn’t meant to be.”

“Just like that?”

“You could waste your time pining after someone who doesn’t appreciate how wonderful you or you could spend your time finding someone who will. Men ain’t shit, you know?”

“_____!” Dj Wonwoo hissed.

“Sorry. We’ll edit that out,” you smirked.

“You’re right… But he’s soooo cute ~! Ok, I’ll try what you said and if it doesn’t work out, it doesn’t work out. Thanks so much, Honey!”

“No problem. All right, that’s about it for tonight. Remember to stay safe out there if you’re going out tonight, that no one is worth that one shot of vodka, and most importantly, to bring a hair tie for your long-haired friends that might need it when they’re throwing up in the toilet. I’ll see you guys on Monday. Thank you for listening to _Honey Time Radio_. This is Honey signing off.”

When the ‘On-Air’ light shut off in the studio, you took off your headphones and leaned back against your chair, letting out a loud groan.

“Can you at least _try_ to keep the language clean!? The head of the department might suspend the show! _Again_ ,” Wonwoo scolds, hanging his headphones on the hook.

“Sorry, ok! I gotta support my girls out there and tell them the hard truth that men are trash.”

“You only say that because you don’t take your own advice, which I still don’t understand.”

“I am a complex woman, Wonwoo. I don’t need a man, anyways! Besides, it might blow my cover if I follow my own advice.”

“Whatever you say. You ready to go to Mingyu’s?”

“Yes, dear God. I need a drink so badly.”

“We were on air for only like, three hours today…”

“Being the campus’s advice guru is draining, ok.”

\--

“You know Hansol’s going tonight,” Wonwoo said as you both approach the door.

“The goodie two-shoes that looks like a bad boy?”

“Yeah, that one.”

“Ok, so?”

“So ~ what do you think about him?”

You look at Wonwoo with a cautious stare and see that he’s giving you another one of his weird smirks. “Uh, he’s cool, I guess.”

“That’s it!?”

“Well, what do you want me to say!? I barely know him!”

You’ve met Hansol only a handful of times all throughout your years in college. Actually, you didn’t really know many of Wonwoo’s friends because you’re so preoccupied with your own studies and thinking up topics to discuss on the show that you never bothered to socialze too much, which was completely fine with you, as it kept your identity as Honey anonymous. Your first impression of Hansol was the same as Wonwoo’s (which is never a good sign) - he looked like he was your stereotypical bad boy that gave absolutely no fucks. But the same day you met him you felt guilty because, surprise, he was actually really nice.

But aren’t they all at first?

“He always asks about you. Well, about Honey.”

“He’s not the first guy to ask you about her, what makes him special?”

“Hansol’s a special guy. You’ll see,” Wonwoo smiles as he knocks on the door.

“You said that about Mingyu, and look how that turned out.”

“That was clearly a mistake…”

“Dj Hyung ~!” a flushed Mingyu swung the door open, holding two cups of _stuff_ at his fingertips. “And Noona! Here, drink this!”

He shoves the red cups in yours and Wonwoo’s hands and neither of you hesitate to chug it down.

“That’s the spirit. Come in, it’s just getting started!”

The music was already loud before Mingyu opened the door, but when you stepped into his apartment, you could barely hear your own thoughts. The hallways were crowed with people making out or waiting in line for the bathroom and the rooms were dark filled with people dancing.

“How’s my girlfriend Honey doing? Why isn’t she here with you guys!?” Mingyu pouted, guiding you and Wonwoo to the drinks.

“She said she had a, uh, project due at midnight, so she couldn’t come,” you lied. “She said happy birthday, though.”

“I’ll never get to meet the love of my life…” You cringed at his whining. Mingyu was a prime example of why you didn’t want to reveal yourself. Though if he ever does find out, you’re sure he’d back off right away.

In the kitchen where the drinks were, you see Hansol standing next to the punch bowl talking to a girl who seemed too shy for this kind of environment. She reminded you a lot like your last caller of the night. He saw the three of you approach him and he errupted with his wide, gummy grin that was too cute even for you.

“Hey!” he greeted the both of you, though it seemed his focus was more on you than your partner in crime. “You made it.”

“Wouldn’t miss little Mingyu’s birthday for the world,” you said.

“I’m 21!” he screamed, shoving a shot of something in your hands. “Cheers!”

While your two tall friends take the shot, you toss yours into Hansol’s cup, who gladly accepts.

“S-So, Hansol!” Oh yeah, he was talking to someone else before you came and interrupted. Whoops. “Do you listen to _Honey Time Radio_?”

Your ears perked up at your name. You always loved hearing about what others thought about your show. It was enlightening and it helped you steer the show in a good direction.

“I love _Honey Time Radio_!” Hansol beamed, and you can’t help but smile with pride at his enthusiasm. “I want to meet her one day. She always sounds so profound and just amazing, you know? I want to have a conversation with her over a cup of coffee or something. Just to talk.”

A deep blush formed on your cheeks. In all the times you’ve heard boys talk about Honey, they only talked about how hot you sounded or how funny you were. Never had they said anything like wanting to just talk. Was hot in here or was it the alcohol?

“How about you, _____?” Hansol asked you, pulling away from your thoughts.

“H-Huh? Me?” You looked around the kitchen to find your scapegoats Mingyu and Wonwoo, but they’re nowhere to be seen. You cursed yourself for not paying attention. “Uh, yeah, I-I love Honey. She sounds like she cares for her listeners. She’s someone I can look up to,” you said, definitely tooting your own horn.

“Yeah, right!? It’s like she’s talking to you and you only…” You look at Hansol getting lost in his own thoughts and you feel proud that you had that sort of effect on him.

Well, that _Honey_ had that effect on him.

The three of you hear glass break in one of the rooms, followed by Wonwoo screaming, “Mingyu, what the fuck!”

“That’s my cue to go,” you said, trying to escape being the third wheel. “I’ll see you later -”

“Wait, I’ll go with you!” Hansol said, speeding past you towards the crash and leaving the other girl speechless.

“Why did you leave? She was totally interested in you!” you asked.

“She was so bland! She asked me about, like, music and stuff…”

Uh oh, that might have been your doing. But that’s a great conversation starter, right!? Since when was music a bland topic to talk about!?

“You didn’t even want to give her the chance?”

“I just couldn’t do it. Besides, I’m too distracted trying to watch over Mingyu-hyung, since Wonwoo-hyung clearly can’t,” he chuckled.

You sighed as you followed Hansol, his hand grasping your arm as he pushed passed the people so he wouldn’t lose you in the crowd. Just as you thought you were finally getting closer to figuring men out, you’re taken all the way back to square one. You silently apologize to all the people who took your advice and completely scratch that advice from your mental idea board.

In the living room, you and Hansol see Wonwoo picking up the broken pieces of a vase while Mingyu peaks through the curtains of his windows.

“Mingyu, what are you doing -”

“Cops! Cops are here! Every body out!” he screamed, cutting you off.

In a matter of seconds, all of the people in his apartment ran out the front door, the back door, through the windows, every orafice of the apartment, leaving only you, Hansol, Mingyu, and Wonwoo.

“How long have we been here,” you asked, helping Wonwoo pick up the pieces.

“Twelve minutes.”

“Great. I’m going home then.”

“Ok, I’ll stay here and watch over Mingyu - wait, where did he go?”

The three of you hear him loudly puking in the bathroom.

“At least he made it to the bathroom…” Wonwoo sighed.

“I’ll walk you home,” Hansol offered.

“Wait, what?” you asked, whipping your head to look at him. The last thing you wanted was to be left alone with Hansol and make awkward conversation. “That’s ok, I can go by myself.”

“No way, not with all the crime alert emails we get every day. It’s too dangerous.”

“Yeah, _____, let him walk you home.” You could hear the pushy tone in Wonwoo’s voice as he tried to be subtle with you. When Hansol wasn’t looking, he mouthed to you ‘ _don’t fight it!_ ’

“O-Ok,” you nodded. “Let’s go.”

Hansol beamed at your acceptance and followed you out the door. You tried to think up of at least five different conversation topics so that the walk wasn’t spent in silence. At least you wouldn’t ask him about music… But then what would you talk about!?

“So, how’s working with Wonwoo?” he asked you.

“A pain in the ass.”

“I bet. I’m surprised he does any work at all.”

“Actually, he does a lot more than you think,” you said. Wonwoo was infamously known for being a sleepy sloth, but when it came to the show, he put his whole heart into it, just like you. You - well, _Honey_ \- took pride in being his partner. “He does a lot of behind the scene stuff that no one gets to hear.”

“What do you do there?”

“I edit and upload the podcast. Honey likes to swear a lot, so I gotta bleep that out.” You came up with this fantastic lie when Mingyu first asked you what you did at the station. It wasn’t a complete lie - you just weren’t telling the whole truth.

“That’s so cool! Have you seen her before!?”

“A couple of times, but she always leaves to go back to her apartment.”

“Damn, I’m so curious about her! Every time I catch her show, I can’t stop thinking about her for the rest of the night. I’ve been begging Wonwoo for _months_ to let me come down and meet her.”

“Jeez, months?” You blushed again at the mere thought that Hansol really wanted to meet Honey.

“Yeah. I meant it when I said I want to just have a conversation with her. Like, an intelligent one, about life or the stars, that cheesy shit, you know? No one seems to believe me when I say that, though,” he chuckled.

“She does have a lot of admirers.”

“Is it because her and Wonwoo have a thing going on?”

“ _Oh God_ , no!” you defended a little too quickly. You cleared your throat when Hansol raised his brow at you. “No, no, absolutely not, that’s just… No, that’s gross. Honey and Wonwoo? Never.”

“… Do _you_ have a thing for Wonwoo?”

“I love Wonwoo, but you know, not like that.”

“Whatever you say, _____ ~”

You arrived in front of your apartment not long after. When you turned to say good bye, you were stunned by the soft smile he gave you. It was genuine, like he was happy that you let him walk you home.

“Thanks for walking me. You really didn’t have to,” you said.

“But I wanted to! Besides, I heard that you think I’m some kind of bad boy.”

“Dammit, Wonwoo! That was when I first met you! Not anymore, I swear.”

“It’s because I walked you home, huh?” he smirked.

“That, and that I also need to not judge people so quickly.”

“Well, that just means we need to hang out together more.”

“Hangout?” you asked, not sure if you heard correctly.

“Yeah. Let’s grab lunch together sometime. Or even just study. I heard you’re pretty good at Biology, and uh, I’m kind of failing it right now.”

“Only if you help me in English.”

“It’s a date!” he grinned. “Well, a lunch date… Study date… Y-You know…”

“Yes, I get it,” you laughed.

“Can I get your number? Or e-mail, or something…?”

Oh no, he was so cute tripping over his words… You mentally slapped yourself to get it together. You held out your hand as a way to ask for his phone and put in your number.

“Cool! I mean great. I mean thanks… I’ll just text you.”

“I’ll be waiting.”

Hansol gave you a shy wave good bye as he walked away. From a distance, you could see him shake his head from embarrassment.

Wonwoo was right - Hansol’s quite the special guy. You could already feel yourself dig a hole that you might not make it out of.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A familiar voice calls the show.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings include swearing, that it's dialogue-heavy, and a lot of platonic Wonwoo x reader interaction

“He wants to _what_?” Wonwoo asked, tossing his backpack on his chair in the studio.

You sighed as you slumped in your own chair, trying to settle in before you start Monday night’s show. “He wants to study together. Or grab lunch… Or both, I don’t know, he was being really weird on Friday.”

“Hansol doesn’t want to study,” he scoffed. “In a good semester, he owns one notebook, wide-ruled and maybe three pencils… Hansol doesn’t study.”

“See, that’s what I thought, too! What should I do? Should I say no when he asks for a date and time?”

“What!? No, go through with it! Play along and make him think you think he’s smart and likes to study!”

“Why would I do that!?”

“Because Hansol’s just _that guy_ , you know? He likes to impress girls by liking things that they’re interested in and that’s how he makes them fall for him. I’ve seen his work.”

“And I’m supposed to just listen to him talk about how the mitochondria is the trap house of the cell and I’ll fall in love with him?”

“Yes! Or at least try to, it’s obvious he’s interested in you.”

“I don’t know why he’s even bothering. He’s probably just using me to get to Honey.”

“_____, not every guy is like that.”

“I don’t know, I’ve got a pretty good streak going on,” you said sarcastically. “I’m at a whopping five boys who have played me.”

“Ok, so there’s a chance that Hansol might be using you to get to Honey. But what if he isn’t? Are you going to let your connection with Honey cock-block you for the rest of your life?”

“That’s not what I meant,” you pouted. “I can still get laid if I want to.”

“But that’s not the same as a _relationship_.”

“I don’t think I should be taking relationship advice from someone who brings home a different girl every thirsty Thursday.”

“Hey, this is you we’re discussing, not me,” he scolded, though you could see him holding back his proud grin.

“Shut up and press the button already, we’re like fifteen seconds behind,” you demanded. He mocked your nagging with funny faces before dramatically pressing on the ‘On-Air’ button.

You sighed deeply into your mic. “Hello, friends. It’s your favorite problematic duo here, Honey and Wonwoo, aka HonWon. Or should it be HonWoo? HonWoo makes more sense, doesn’t it? I don’t know, let us know what you guys think our ship name should be, we trust you.”

“But put my name first!” Wonwoo shouts across the room.

“It’s 7:00 PM on a Monday evening as we’re recording this. You know, the melancholic Mondays are starting to feel a bit numb as the cold season approaches. My only class on Mondays and Wednesdays doesn’t start until three in the afternoon, and do you know what time I got out of bed today? 1:36 PM. And I was still so tired! It might be because I found out yesterday that I didn’t do so hot on my English exam. I almost didn’t get out of bed. I was ready to call Wonwoo to just come over so we can do the show in my room, but I didn’t. I got up, conquered my day, and now here I am, doing what I love by talking with all of you. Getting out of bed is half the battle. I know some days can get harder than others, but I know we can do it. I hope you all did or are doing what you need to do today and are ending your day how you want it to.” Wonwoo shoots you a thumbs up for your motivational speech. “On a much lighter note, I think we’re ready for our first caller! Caller number four, you’re on air.”

“Hello?” a familiar voice said. “Wow, hey, I got it! U-Uh, how are you?”

You and Wonwoo exchange a glance of panic. Neither of you could believe your ears. No way was it Hansol. But looking at Wonwoo’s wide eyes, you began to doubt yourself.

“Hey ~ there ~” you hesitated. “I’m doing well…! How about you?”

“Good, good. Absolutely nervous right now, but you know, good.”  
“There’s no need to be nervous here. What’s your name?”

“Vernon,” he said quickly. “My name is Vernon.”

Wonwoo jumps out of his chair from excitement and quickly scribbles on his notepad. In his messy handwriting, you see the words, ‘THAT’S HANSOL’S MIDDLE NAME’ in all caps as he shakes the notepad vigorously.

You suddenly can’t find your voice. Shit, why was he calling!?

“W-Wow, interesting name. Sounds American,” you commented awkwardly as Wonwoo snickered. “So what do you want to talk about, Vernon?”

“This sounds stupid, but do you ever get the feeling that you’re misunderstood?”

You raised your brow at Wonwoo and he did the same. That’s not what either of you expected from Hansol.

“I mean, you seem like someone who’s pretty open about their feelings and what not, and maybe it’s because a lot of us don’t know who you are,” he continued. “But doesn’t that ever feel, I don’t know… Alienating?”

“Huh… You know, I never really thought about it. But I know what you mean. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve wanted to just shout out to the world about who I am. Why do you ask?”

“I feel like I’ve been trying to be someone I’m not for a long time. How emo do I sound right now, do I sound like I’m twelve?”

“No, not at all,” you said, trying to hold back your chuckle as you watched Wonwoo step out of the studio to laugh. “We’ve all been there, I promise you. Why do you think you’re trying to be someone you’re not?”

“I think I’ve just been so used to pretending because it’s gotten me laid so many times,” he chuckled sheepishly. You rolled your eyes at his obvious statement and ignored the sting in your chest. Something like that really shouldn’t bother you as much as it should. “And all of this pretending has sort of become a part of me, you know? All of my friends and all the girls that know me see me as this guy who doesn’t really give a fuck and I’ve kept this facade up for so long that I feel like I’m losing myself and it’s driving me fucking insane! Oh shit, I swore, sorry!”

“No worries, we’ll edit it that out.” Wonwoo rushed back inside to listen to the rest of Hansol’s story. “Why are you suddenly tired of it? It seems like you didn’t have a problem with it until now.”

“This is where the real problem comes in, I guess. So there’s this girl…” As Hansol paused, Wonwoo aggressively pointed his fingers at you with a wide grin on his face. You flipped him off to shut him up. “I really want to get close to her. Not even in _that_ way, you know, at least not yet. Just like… As friends.”

“And you think that she won’t see it that way,” you mused. “You think she’ll see it as an attempt for you to get something else out of it.”

“Exactly! I don’t want to come off as _the nice guy_ because I definitely think that’s what she’s thinking.”

Well, he’s not wrong. You’ve experienced way too many _nice guys_ in the past and it bit you in the ass one hundred percent of the time. You thanked Honey for that.

“Have you asked her to hang out with you yet?” you asked, thinking that he wasn’t talking about you. You really hoped he wasn’t, and if he was, what were you to do if he actually asked to hang out?

“Not yet… We sort of made unoffical plans, but nothing was set in stone.”

“If you really want to be her friend, you have to show her. You know, put in the effort by asking her when she wants to make the plans official.”

“I was going to when I last saw her, but she’s really scary!”

“What!?” you exclaimed, insulted that he thought about you that way. Well, the girl he was talking about… “Why do you want to be friends with her then!?”

“I guess that’s kind of what attracted me to her,” Hansol chuckled. “I’ve never met someone like her before. She’s definitely not just someone I’d bring home for one night.”

“Maybe that’s what’s scarying you, too - commitment.”

“Yeah, that sounds like something I’d be terrified of.”

“I think you just need to put a foot through the door for now. If you’re serious about getting closer to her, then you need to take things slow. I think your idea of just grabbing lunch and hanging out is a great start.”

“Yeah, I think you’re right. I don’t even know why I’m overthinking so much in the first place!”

“You must like her.”

“A little bit,” Hansol sighed dreamily. “She’s really cute…”

A bright blush began to color you cheeks. Even if this wasn’t about you, the way he just talked about ‘her’ was so heartfelt. If this wasn’t about you, you might admit you were a little jealous.

“I wish you the best of luck, Vernon. You can always try calling us back if you need anymore help.”

“You’re the best, Honey. I hope you have a nice night.”

“Y-Yeah, you, too,” your flushing face was starting to get too much for you to handle. “Ok, I’ll be taking a short break as Wonwoo plays music that’s probably too explicit for this station. Be back in five.”

You mute your mic and take a deep breath before chugging some water. Looking at the clock, you saw it was only 7:20. You had over two and a half hours left of the show and you were already tired.

“That’s totally Hansol!” Wonwoo exclaimed. “I know that wannabe-deep voice anywhere! He was talking about you!”

“Shut up, that’s not -”

You were cut off by the loud textone of your cell that lit up the studio. You and Wonwoo froze in your place. You were too afraid to touch your phone and Wonwoo was all too eager, grabbing it before you could and reading the message.

“ _‘Hey, _____, it’s Hansol’_ ,” Wonwoo read in his best Hansol voice. “ _‘I was wondering if you’d be free to grab some food after you’re done with Honey Time? I could use a study break.’_ Oh, shit, see! I told you!”

“No way…” you whsipered. “So he really wants to be my friend? I don’t understand.”

“He wants to be your friend and then eventually, he wants to be more than just friends, come on, _____, I know you’re not dumb.” Wonwoo vigorously tapped on your phone. “ _‘Hey, Hansol! I’d love to grab a snack. I can totally help you with studying, too, if you need it.’_ ”

“Hey, I’m not consenting to this!” you pouted. “Why did you agree!? I’m already tired!”

“Shut up, you woke up at 1:30 today. Be prepared to stay up late ‘cuz Hansol’s fucking terrible at science.”

“Why do you hate me?”

“I’m trying to get you laid, you should be thanking me. Oh, he texted back so quickly. _‘I definitely need it, but I couldn’t ask you to stay up so late with me.’_ He’s so charming with girls, why doesn’t he ever text me like this?”

“Tell him, ‘Yeah, you’re right, that is too late for me to stay up.’”

“ _‘It’s no problem at all! I have nothing planned early tomorrow, anyways.’_ ”

“I have a 9:00 AM tomorrow!”

“ _‘Sounds great, you’re the best. Can’t wait to see you.’_ Ooh, you hear that? He can’t wait to see you ~”

“Fuck, break’s over,” you said, unable to curse out Wonwoo for his recklessness. You throw on your headphones and put on your fakest smile. “A~And we’re back. I think relationship advice is one of my favorite forms of advice to give. It’s especially rewarding during the cold seasons, as flourishing love warms my heart.”

“Gross,” Wonwoo commented.

“Too much? Let’s move on then, shall we? Caller number twenty-nine, what’s on your mind?”

“That Vernon guy sounds cute! Can I get his number?”

“Whoops, you’re connection’s going bad,” you said bitterly, purposely hanging up on the caller. “Sorry ~ Try calling again later.”

You ignored the peripheral sight of Wonwoo shaking his head at you in disapproval.

—

“And that’s all for tonight, folks. Thanks for tuning in, and as usual, stay safe out there. I’ll talk to you tomorrow, same time, same place. This is Honey signing off.”

Your phone lit up as Wonwoo began to shut down the studio. The text was from Hansol.

_‘Just listened to the end of the show. I’m already here, but take your time’_ , it read.

“Jeez, someone’s eager,” Wonwoo said, looking over your shoulder.

“Pray that I won’t embarrass myself tonight.”

“That’s a waste of a prayer because I know you’ll do so, anyways.”

“Thanks for your support…”

“You’re welcome! I’ll head out first. You can tell him Honey left with me through the back door if he asks.”

“How is it that I hate you and love you at the same time?”

“The real statement is you hate that you can’t love me anymore than you already do.”

“Goodnight, Wonwoo.”

Wonwoo left the studio first and you took the two minutes of alone time that you had to mentally prepare yourself for this little, uh, _date_ you had with Hansol. From the way that he was talking to Honey, it seemed like he thought you were intimidating, or something. But he also said that’s what attracted you to him in the first place… Should you be keeping up your own facade as Hansol was trying to break down his own?

Walking outside of the studio, you see Hansol waiting for you in sweats and a hoodie. He looked extremely tired and you wonder if it’s because he’s actually been studying a lot this whole time or if he’s just that tired.

He greeted you with another dazzling, gummy grin. “Hey! How was the show?”

Shit, you almost forgot he was your first caller earlier. Whenever you met your callers, you were always so awkward around them because it was hard for you to keep your cool and your secret a secret.

“It went well. Honey had a lot of callers talk about relationships today. It was interesting to listen to, to say the least.”

“Yeah… Do people ever call back and tell her if her advice worked?”

“I think a couple of times, but not really. It’s a shame, she and I always want to know if it ever worked out,” you said, trying to clue him in on calling again after tonight.

“Have you ever asked her about relationship advice before?” he asked you.

You shake your head. “No. Not yet, at least.”

“Why not?”

“Not to toot my own horn, but I think I’m pretty good at gauging how I feel about someone right when I meet them. If I have a feeling they’re using me for something, I cut them off.”

“I think your gauge must like me then,” he said, smiling proudly.

“I think so, too.”

—

“Wow, you weren’t kidding when you said you needed help…”

You and Hansol sat at a table in one of the 24-hour cafes on campus. He paid for your drink as a thank you for tonight. You noticed he liked his coffee black.

It was 10:30 right now, and with midterms coming up, you weren’t surprised to see that the place was packed. Hansol scattered all of his notes, past quizzes, and past exams on the table in front of you. His quizzes and exams had a lot of numbers in the 50s and 60s written in red ink.

“The mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell,” he said robotically.

“I can see that you got that question right, at least,” you said, pointing to one of his quizzes.

“Ugh, what do I do? The second midterm is next week and if I don’t get at least a B in that, I gotta retake the course in the summer!”

“Have you _actually_ been studying?”

“Yes, I swear! It’s just that science isn’t really my subject and I have to take this course because I gotta fulfill the fucking gen-ed requirements.”

“What are you even majoring in?”

“International relations,” he grinned.

“Wow, I didn’t expect that.”

“Not many people do. Suits me, doesn’t it?” he asked. “Imagine me in a sexy, black suit, looking sexy. Totally my major, right?”

“Seems like you wanna be a fashion model instead.”

“Am I that handsome to you?”

“Ugh,” you groaned. “Go study.”

“What, you’re supposed to be helping me!”

“You’re distracting yourself!”

“Distracting myself or you?” he teased, leaning in closer.

You sighed, pulling on his hoodie strings to close the hood. “Do you flirt with all of your tutors?”

“Is it working?”

Hansol’s hands wrapped around yours so you’d let go of the hoodie strings. His hands were soft and warm, exactly how you expected them to be. Almost immediately, you yanked your hands back, not used to the closeness.

What have you gotten yourself into?

“Oh, sorry -”

“N-No, don’t worry about it! I’m just not used to, um, skinship.”

“Haven’t you had a boyfriend before?”

“No, not really,” you shook your head. “I’ve dated guys here and there, but it never worked out.”

“How come?”

You looked at Hansol and saw genuine interest in his eyes. You could tell he didn’t see you as that crazy girl who couldn’t get a boyfriend. If he really was trying to get closer to you for Honey, you couldn’t tell and you didn’t want to believe it.

You shrugged. “Just not lovable enough, I guess.”

“Did someone tell you that?”

“No, I just assumed.”

“Good, I thought I had to beat someone up,” he smirked.

“Then you _really_ won’t pass biology.”

“Will you help tutor me still if I don’t pass?” he begged, batting his long eyelashes at you.

“No, because you’re going to pass, starting by labelling all of these organelles in a eukaryotic cell.”

“Ok, but after I get us more coffee.”

“Oh, no, that’s ok -”

“Nonsense! Friends get friends more coffee, right?” he winked, taking your empty cup.

“You’re stalling.”

“I definitely am.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Caller number twenty-two.

“SOOO ~” Wonwoo sang loudly as he plopped down next to you in the lecture hall. “How was your study date yesterday ~?”

You were slumped in your seat at your 10:00 AM, hoodie covering your entire face as you tried to nap for five minutes in between lectures. But no, of course Wonwoo had to ruin your peace and quiet.

“It wasn’t a date,” you groaned. “And oh, my God, you were right, he’s fucking hopeless.”

“Jeez, how long did you guys stay up?”

“You know that 24-hour cafe at the corner by the frozen yogurt place? We were there ’til like, 3:00 AM.”

“What, why!?”

“His second midterm is next week and he knows literally nothing from this unit, so we had to start from the beginning. But he’s really bad at staying focused, so we only covered one chapter!” You threw your head back and pulled on your hoodie strings to hide your face. “I’m so tired.”

“You never stay up that late with me to study,” Wonwoo pouted.

“Shut up, your GPA is a 3.89…”

“It’s not a 4.0, though,” he noted. “Did he ask you to study with him again tonight?”

“Not that I can remember. Last night was a blur and it’s still too early for me to think properly.”

“Did you guys kiss?”

“No!” you exclaimed, giving Wonwoo an incredulous look. “Jeez, isn’t it a bit early for him to be kissing me?”

“Hansol’s a wildcard, so I have no idea what he could be up to.”

“You and me both,” you groaned.

The lecture went on as usual, with you trying to follow the powerpoint slides on one half of your laptop screen while at the same time writing your script for tonights show on the other half. After seeing how stressed Hansol was about his exam last night, tonight you wanted to highlight how to tackle self-care during midterms week. Wonwoo spent his time scrolling through his phone. You hated that he didn’t need to put in much effort to get such good grades.

A message popped up on your screen and the ringtone echoed throughout the room. The professor stopped momentarily and looked in your direction, with the rest of your classmates following suit.

“Please silence your devices.”

“Sorry…” you said. Wonwoo leaned over and peaked at your laptop screen.

 _’Good morning!’_ Hansol messaged you. _’Did you sleep well?’_

“Tch,” Wonwoo scoffed next to you. “Are you going to tell him you regret staying up with him so late?”

“No. At least not like that, that’s a bit harsh, isn’t it?”

“I mean, it’s the truth.”

“… Why do girls like you?”

“C’mon, _____,” he rolled his eyes. “Look at me.”

“Ugh.”

 _’Good morning,’_ you typed back. _’I did, surprisingly.’_

_’What are you up to right now?’_

_’In my second lecture today. How about you?’_

_’So you had a 9AM!? Why didn’t you tell me? I wouldn’t have asked you to stay out with me so late,’_ he said, sending several sad emojis.

 _’Don’t worry about it! I’d much rather stay up with you and help you study than sleep.’_ You rubbed the bridge of your nose as you reread your message. You sounded like such a dork.

 _’Wow, what an honor ~’_ he teased. _’That’s sweet of you. But really, thanks so much again. I feel terrible, you must be exhausted. Can I buy you lunch today?’_

“Say yes!” Wonwoo whispered. “Say yes, say yes!”

“No way, I-I can’t do it.”

“What, why!?”

“He’s moving way too fast and getting too comfortable too quicky. I’m gonna fuck it up soon, I can feel it.”

“You can’t always assume that, that’s what makes you so bad at relationships!”

“I know, but I just… I just need more time. I need to move at a slower pace so I can think things through.”

Wonwoo sighed, throwing his hands up in defeat. “Whatever you say. What are you gonna tell him?”

 _’That’s nice of you, but I can’t today. Wonwoo and I have to plan for tonight’s show.’_ At least you weren’t completely lying - you would always spend your lunch time with Wonwoo planning out the show.

_’Oh, with Honey?’_

You raised a brow at his message. Why would he ask about Honey? _’No, she usually doesn’t come to our meetings. It’s just us two.’_

 _’Oh,’_ was all he sent in on message bubble.

“What are you doing!?” Wonwoo hissed. “Are you trying to make him jealous!?”

“What? No, why?”

“Well, it kinda looks like you are, and I think it worked.”

“Does it really!? Shit…”

 _’Maybe next time, then. Have fun,’_ he sent you.

“Shit!”

“You weren’t kidding when you said you were going to fuck it up soon, huh?”

“Well, yeah, do you even know me!?” you sighed. “What do I do!?”

“Ask to reschedule. But you have to be the one to set the date. Say you want to eat lunch tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow!? That’s still pretty soon -”

“ _For fuck’s sake_ , _____, just do it.”

“Ok ok, jeez,” you muttered. “You should be Honey for one day.”

“ _Fuck_ no, I’ll only be Honey for you,” he winked.

 _’Would you like to get lunch tomorrow instead?’_ you asked.

And almost immediately, he replied, _’I’d love to.’_

“Happy now?”

“I think you just made his day,” Wonwoo teased.

—

“And we’re back!” you said into your mic. “You’re here listening to _Honey Time Radio_. As always, thanks Dj Wonwoo for, uh, you know, mixing them beats.”

“Please never say that again,” he dead panned.

“You told me to say that!” you scolded. “Anyways, on the line right now is a caller named Seungcheol who has fulfilled his major requirements the past three years and now is stuck between completing his major and being miserable or starting all over and being happy. Caller number seven, what do you think?”

“I think he should just graduate with the same major,” they said. “He’s spent so much time and not to mention _money_ here, why would he want that to go to waste!?”

“That’s very true, tuition ain’t cheap here,” you sighed, flashes of your student loans appearing in your mind. “Caller number fourteen, how about you?”

“No way, he shouldn’t spend the rest of his life doing what he hates! I think he should start over, no matter how much time or money it takes. A few more years in college will be worth being happy for the rest of his life.”

“Quite optimistic of you! Caller number twenty?”

“Don’t do it, bro, you’ll spend the rest of your life in debt! Trust me…”

“Ah, the hard truth. At least someone said it. Thanks for your input, everyone. Seungcheol, I think you should do what you really want to do if you think you can handle the backlash from it,” you said. “For example, make sure your parents know, or plan out how you’re going to pay for the extra years, you know, all that loan shit.”

“Telling my parents is the scariest part,” he told you. “Any tips on that?”

“Prepare for the worst is all I can tell you. Prepare to get yelled at and for them to not understand. Also choose your words wisely, ‘cuz you know how parents can be when you try to explain something for the tenth time, and they’re like, _’don’t give me that attitude, young man!!!!’_ ”

“I definitely will. Thank you, Honey, you really know how to ease the mind.”

“Aw, I try,” you said, smiling smugly. “Thanks for calling, Seungcheol. I know something like this can be really stressful during midterms week, which leads us to our next topic. _Honey Time Radio_ would like to wish everyone a healthy week of studying, since midterms are next week. Study with a couple friends if you can, because studying alone can be demotivating and lonely. Use apps that block all of your social media for a couple of hours as you study. And rremind yourself that it’s ok to take as many breaks as you need. But most importantly, remember that no amount of studying could make up for skipping meals and skipping sleep. I’m totally guilty of breaking that rule every semester, but I’ve gotten better! Your guys’ health is more important than one midterm grade, so please, everyone take care of yourselves.

“We’ll be taking our last call for this evening. Hello, caller number twenty-two, what can I do for you ~?” you sang.

“Hey, Honey. It’s, uh, me again. Vernon.”

You nearly choke on your water as you hear Hansol’s voice. You gave Wonwoo a brief glance of panic and he just shrugged. What could he possibly be calling back about!?

“Oh! H-Hey, Vernon!” you said shakily. “Nice to hear from you again! What’s up…?”

“I called again because I need someone to tell me that I’m overthinking things.”

“What are you overthinking?”

“So I did what you said yesterday and asked her to study and hangout and she said yes.”

“Hey ~ congrats!” you commented awkwardly. “How did it go?”

“I think it went amazing! I’ve never had so much fun studying before,” he chuckled. You couldn’t hold back your growing smile - Hansol seemed so sweet. “We stayed up until 3:00 AM and just talked during our study breaks. I feel so… _myself_ around her.”

“What’s the problem then?”

“I asked to grab lunch today because I felt bad she had to stay up so late and wake up for an early lecture. But then she said no, because…” he paused.

Your eyes shifted over to Wonwoo, who was innocently listening to Hansol rant. He shot you a guilty smile knowing that the reason Hansol was calling you was because of your friendship with him.

“She said no because she already had plans with this other guy.”

You tried your best to hold back a loud groan as Wonwoo snorted. You couldn’t believe that Hansol was jealous because of Wonwoo.

“What’s her relationship with this guy?”

“I don’t know! She said they were just, um, working on a project together, but they’re literally together _all_ the time.”

“What!?” you screeched accidentally. That was such a lie, you weren’t _always_ with Wonwoo! Just… very frequently… “I-I mean, I can kind of see why you’re upset…”

“So am I just overthinking things or should I be more straightforward with her and beat the other guy to the punch?”

“No! Definitely don’t do that!”

“Really? Why not?”

“U-Uh, she might be overwhelmed with your bluntness or she’s not ready to jump into something so quickly. You guys have only hung out once.”

“So I’m just crazy, huh?” Hansol asked lightly.

“A little bit. Did she at least reschedule lunch?”

“Yeah, for tomorrow.”

“Oh, Vernon ~ you have nothing to worry about yet,” you reassured. “I promise you.”

“Really?”

“Really. Her rescheduling means that she didn’t want to pass up the opportunity to get lunch with you. She obviously enjoyed being with you last night,” you blushed. “However, if she keeps rescheduling, that’s when you should worry.”

“I was just starting to feel sane again until that last part.”

“Sorry, friend! Just making sure you’re prepared for the worst.”

“What about the other guy? Should I be worried about him?”

You see Wonwoo gag from the corner of your eye. “Maybe find out for yourself what their relationship is like first before you jump to any conclusions.”

“Jumping to conclusions is what I do best.”

“You and me both…” you muttered. “I wish you the best of luck, Vernon. Call back again if you need more help.”

“You’re the best, as usual.”

“Thanks, I know ~” you said, hanging up on Hansol. “And that about wraps up our show for tonight, everyone! Thanks again for listening and remember to stay safe out there. _Honey Time Radio_ wishes you all a good night. This is Honey signing off.”

“ _’She obviously enjoyed being with you last night ~’_ ” Wonwoo mocked, making kissing noises. “So gross.”

“Shut up, so what if I did?”

“What do you even think about him? Do you like him?”

“I think he’s very sweet,” you smiled. “And funny, and charming, and wow, he’s really cute…”

“Then what’s holding you back!? And don’t tell me any of that _’I’m gonna fuck it up’_ nonsense or _’he’s only using me for Honey’_ bullshit because there’s no way he is if he’s calling about you!”

“I mean, you heard him yesterday! He’s been _around_ , you know? I don’t want to be another one of his collection of flings or part of his hook-up bingo.”

“He wears condoms! At least I hope, I mean, I’ve seen his room and the costco-sized box he keeps.” Your face twisted in disgust as you could imagine why he needed such a box of that, uh, magnitude. “You need to cut him some slack.”

“I’m damaged, ok,” you pouted.

“I know, and that’s why I’m trying to help you. I really don’t know how you’re going to deal with giving Hansol advice on how to win your heart. Isn’t that, like, conflict of interest, or something?”

“Oh, absolutely.”

“Well, good luck with that.”

“Thanks, I definitely need it.”

“Are you going home now?”

“Um,” you paused. You had something else in mind you wanted to do. “No. I think I’m going to ask Hansol what he’s up to.”

—

“Miss me already?” Hansol teased as you took a sit in front of him in the library.

“Of course. Not like I saw you yesterday, or anything.”

“How was the show? I was only able to listen to the first half,” he lied.

“It was good - someone from yesterday called back again today, which was weird.” You saw him shift uncomfrotably in his chair. “But his situation was really cute. I hope he calls back again.”

“O-Oh yeah, why’s that?”

“I don’t know, I really want to listen to how it turns out. I hope it works out for them in the end.”

“Yeah… Me too.” Hansol gave you a shy smile, one that was completely different than his usual smirk. You could feel the blush creeping up on your face. “Can I walk you home?”

“Y-Yeah,” you stuttered. “That’d be great.”

The first few minutes in your way home were spent in awkward silence. It seemed like he was hesitating to ask you something - probably involving Wonwoo. It was cute how jealous he was of him that you almost wanted tease him about it.

“So,” he started. “How was planning with Wonwoo?”

Bingo. “Good, although I did most of the planning, as usual. Wonwoo just kind of sat there and took care of all the music stuff.”

“Do you two hang out a lot?”

“Other than the weekends, I can’t remember a day where I haven’t seen him,” you said, smiling to yourself. Wonwoo was truly a great friend, and you’d have to thank him more for it.

“Oh,” Hansol said awkwardly. 

“Yeah. He’s a great _friend_ ,” you emphasized.

“Have you guys ever tried dating before? You seem like a good match for each other…”

“Ugh, Wonwoo’s an insufferable, lazy slob. He’s like the annoying twin brother I’ve always wanted.”

“Really? That’s it?” he asked, eyes wide with hope.

“Are you jealous of him?” you teased, pulling on his hoodie strings again.

“Honestly? A little bit,” he said, looking down in embarrassment. “I was upset that you declined my offer for lunch today.”

“At least I rescheduled!”

“Yeah, so that made up for it.” Hansol wrapped his hand around the one that held onto his hoodie strings again, just like last night. But this time, you didn’t pull away. Slowly, he laced his fingers between yours and led you home, melting away any insecurities you had about him at that moment.

“You’re still paying though, right?” you asked.

“Of course.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings include swearing and mentions of masturbation. It's nothing steamy, sadly, just something funny ~

‘ _What are you wearing?_ ’ Wonwoo texted you with a smirk emoji.

‘ _What._ ’

‘ _You know, for your date ~_ ’

‘ _It’s not a date! And I’m wearing normal clothes!_ ’

‘ _I hope they’re not the same clothes you wear everyday._ ’

“What does that even mean?” you muttered to yourself.

You stopped in front of the location Hansol texted you. It was a bit off campus and the outside looked very… eccentric? When you walked in, Vernon’s blond hair and his wide, gummy smile were the very first things you saw.

“Hey!” he greeted you. “Welcome to one of my favorite restaurants on campus.”

“A burger place, huh? How American of you.”

“If there was one thing I remembered about New York, it was the food.”

Before you sat in your seat, you pulled out all of today’s study material. Hansol’s arm blocked you from setting it down on the table.

“Whoa, what are you doing?” he asked.

“Uh, trying to help you pass Bio?”

“Nah nah nah, studying is for another time! For now, it’s just two friends eating lunch, enjoying each other’s company.”

“But -”

“No buts!” he interrupted. “Let’s have some stress-free quality time together for once.”

“Fine,” you caved in. 

“So tell me about yourself,” Hansol said after you two ordered. “What does little miss _____ like to do on her free time?”

“Work,” you sighed. “I haven’t had much free time lately since the show came back from its hiatus.”

“Oh yeah, you guys are on like four days a week, right?”

“Yeah, and we have to come up with new content every single day. I -” you paused, correcting yourself quickly. “ _Honey’s_ only on-air for several of hours at a time, but those hours take more hours to work on.”

“But do you like it?”

“I do,” you smiled sincerely. “It’s a great escape from all of the school work. It’s nice hearing that some people are going through the exact same thing I’m going through.”

“Your roommate leaves socks on your door knob?” Hansol teased, recalling last week's caller.

“Even if they did, that would be the least of my worries. How about you? What does little ol’ Hansolie like to do when he’s not flirting with his tutors or drinking at parties?”

“Ha ha. If you really want to know, I like mixing music.”

“What's with all you boys and djing? Mingyu likes to do that, too, right?”

“Yeah. That’s actually how Wonwoo and I met - it was through Mingyu and this one senior named Seungcheol. We like to borrow each other’s equipment and collaborate.”

“Seungcheol? That name sounds familiar… Oh! He called in yesterday!”

“Yeah, about changing majors, right?”

“Yeah! Wow, small world. I hope he calls back and tells us what he decided.”

“I heard that Vernon guy called back.”

“O-Oh, yeah! I can’t believe he actually did… I, uh, wonder how his situation is going.”

“I’m sure he’s fine for now.” You noticed the smallest smile on Hansol’s lips after he claimed that.

“What makes you so sure?” you challenged.

“I’m not at all, but it’s nice to feel hopeful, isn’t it?”

“Yeah. It is.”

When your food came out, you saw that Hansol’s burger was at least twice the size of yours, since his had all the fancy toppings and dressings.

“Remember that one molecule we studied the other day that you laughed at because you said the professor called one of its varities a _kinky_ molecule?”

“Unsaturated fatty acid!” he cheered proudly, shoving french fries in his mouth.

“Yeah, that’s what your burger looks like… Well, no, except red meat has saturated fatty acids chains - is the bacon caramelized!?”

“Don’t judge,” he scoled. “Oh, before I forget! Can we stop by the studio after lunch since its on the way back?”

You choked on your drink which caused you to have a small coughing fit. Panic rose in your chest and you could feel your body heat up as the panic increased. What did he need to go to the studio for? Did Hansol figure it out? Was he just pretending to be nice to get back at you for lying? Oh God, you were in deep shit if he found out.

Or you could be jumping to conclusions again, as usual, but it’s what you did best.

“U-Uh, yeah! No problem, but uh, wh-what do you need from there?”

“Oh, you don’t know?” he asked, quirking a brow. “My Dad owns the building.”

More choking on your drink, more coughing fits, and more panic rising as Hansol’s words echoed in your head. His dad owned the building… His own dad owned the fucking building! This was maybe one step below Hansol figuring out you were Honey on the shit-scale.

You were going to kill Wonwoo later.

“Your… Dad… owns the building…?” you repeated slowly.

“Yeah. Crazy, right? I’m not surprised you don’t know, though, he’s not there too often. But today the building’s getting inspected, so I want to stop by and say hi, if that’s cool.”

“Yeah, that’s totes cool…! Totally cool. Totally awesome.”

“Do you always ramble like this after almost dying?”

“Yeah, you learn to get used to it after a while.”

—

‘ _SOS, are you in the studio right now!?_ ’ you texted frantically.

‘ _Maybe. Why?_ ’

‘ _Hansol and I are here._ ’

‘ _Wait, what!? Are you out of your mind!?_ ’

‘ _Clearly! I’ll explain in a bit!_ ’

“Thanks again for lunch,” you said as the two of you walked up to the studio building. “You really didn’t have to.”

“You can say that if I don’t pass this midterm, but for now, it’s my small way of thanking you,” he said. “Oh, do you think Honey’s inside right now!?”

“Uh, probably not. She’s normally, um, at home… brainstorming…” you lied.

“Dammit! You know, normally I’d give up on chasing a girl after getting the hint, but I don’t think I could ever give up on chasing Honey.”

His words struck a cord and felt like it was the first time you’ve ever heard them, but oh no, you’ve heard those words five times too many. Well, it was six, now. You really wanted to believe that Hansol could be someone different, someone special, like Wonwoo said, but just that one sentence made you doubt his intentions so quickly.

“Yeah. She gets that a lot…”

“I’m sure she does. Oh, there’s my Dad. I’ll go say hi really quick.”

“Take your time, I’m going inside to the studio really quick.”

You ran quickly to swipe your card to open the front door. You thanked the heavens that the building could only be accessed with IDs that were registered into the system. At least this way, you knew Hansol couldn’t gain access to the building or even the studio room during recording hours.

You bursted through the studio door breathing heavily from the sprinting. Wonwoo sat by the computers with his headphones in, not noticing you enter the room. You kicked his chair roughly and he jumped.

“Fucking Christ, _____,” Wonwoo scolded, clutching his heart. “Can you let me know when you’ve entered The Jeon Junction, trademark? I easily could’ve been jackin’ off right now.”

“Ok, firstly, that name is fucking stupid, and secondly, _EW_ , have you actually done that before!?” He shrugged and smirked as he swung the chair to give you his full attention. “Forget it, anyways -” You paused to slap his arms repeatedly with your hands.

“OW, what the hell, _____!”

“Yeah, what the hell! Why didn’t you tell me about Hansol’s Dad!”

“What about his Dad!?”

“Oh, I don’t know, that his Dad owns this fucking building!?”

“No fucking way.”

“Yeah fucking way!” you shrieked. “Did you really not know!? I mean, aren’t you guys like, dj dudes? Dj pals? Friends!?”

“Guys don’t talk about that stuff! It’s not like he’s ever threatened me by telling me his Dad owns the building so he could meet Honey! This isn’t a televised drama!”

“Oh, my God, he’s going to find out! He’s totally going to figure this out! He’s going to dump me!”

“Wait, what, did he officially ask you out?”

“No, but he’s going to dump me before we even get to that part!”

“So you admit it, you like him?” Wonwoo smirked.

“That’s not the point!”

“What’s not the point?”

You and Wonwoo freeze in your place and simultaneously turn your heads to see Hansol standing by the doorway. In all your time with _Honey Time Radio_ , no other person has stepped inside this studio other than you and Wonwoo. You suddenly felt territorial.

“‘Sup, man ~,” Wonwoo waved awkwardly.

“Hansol!” you greeted too loudly. “Hey ~ friend…! How’s your Dad…?”

“He’s doing great. Building looks great. What happened, I heard screaming outside the room?”

“Oh, that!?” you laughed nervously. “Uh, you know, I just caught Wonwoo, um, jackin’ off…”

“What!?” the two boys screamed.

You looked at Wonwoo with wide, begging eyes, hoping he’d cover for you. He cleared his throat and gave you a death glare that could end your life. “Yeah… Silly me! Always forgetting to lock the door!”

“Fucking gross, Hyung, couldn’t even wait ’til you’re at your own place?”

“They don’t call me a sex addict for nothing.”

“Ah, I’m uncomfortable. Walk me home, will ya? Honey doesn’t like strangers in the studio,” you said as you led Hansol out of the studio. “I’ll see you tonight, Wonwoo ~!”

“Make sure you knock!” he yelled.

“Did you… Did you see anything?” Hansol asked. It wasn’t out of jealousy, surprisingly, it was more for the sake of your own emotional stability, which was quite sweet on his end.

“Thankfully, no. I’d have to pour acid on my eyes if I did.”

“Hydrochloric acid, also known as HCl,” he recited.

“Good boy,” you winked as Hansol bit his bottom lip.

—

“I hate you,” Wonwoo said as you reentered the studio. “I can’t believe that was the lie you used!”

“It was the most believable one! Please forgive me!” you begged.

“No.”

“I bought you fried chicken ~”

“… No…”

“And that pomegranate juice that you like ~”

“… Ok, but if he spreads that shit on campus, I’m telling him you watched me for five whole seconds before you stopped me.”

“That’s fine, I’ll just jump out the window,” you sighed as you settled into your seat. “I asked Hansol what he thought about ‘ _Vernon’s_ ’ situation when we were out for lunch today.”

“Oh yeah, how was that?”

“He eats like a total American, it’s such a turn off. But he redeemed himself. He said he thinks that _Vernon_ will be fine for now. He’s not sure how this - whatever this is - will end up, but he said he’s hopeful.”

“Wow, look, you’re blushing.”

“Ugh, fuck, I know! I couldn’t stop thinking about it all day. In discussion, the TA called on me to answer a question, but I totally blanked! Also, they were the only TA to ever call me out on not paying attention, like is this high school still, or what!?”

“No, but this sounds like a high school romance, doesn’t it? You’ve gone soft, _____.”

“He’s so cute, I’m going to cry.”

“I’m gagging from all this softness,” Wonwoo said with his mouth covered in the chicken sauce.

“Mute your mic so our poor listeners won’t have to hear your saliva,” you scolded. “Ok, on-air in three, two, one… What’s up, everyone, it’s your ultimate faves, the two you stan hardcore, the ones you made a shrine of in your room, Honey and Wonwoo. You’re listening to _Honey Time Radio_. I hope you all are having a great evening thus far, as I can definitely say so for myself. I woke up a little earlier than usual, made myself a cup of coffee and a healthy breakfast - and by healthy I mean I just ate some avocado with my toast and three sausages - and I even did a face mask today! You know, it’s just the little self-care things that can make your whole day worthwhile. So if you’re feeling down, make yourself some hot tea, eat that doughnut you’ve been craving, do some darn yoga, do anything that your heart desires at this very moment. It’ll thank you later, right, Wonwoo?”

“Mmhmm!”

“He’s having a good day because he’s eating his favorite fried chicken. Anyways, I think we’re ready for our first caller ~ Caller number seven, what’s up?”

“Hey, Honey! Have you heard from Vernon since last night?” a girly voice asked.

You and Wonwoo exchange questioning looks. “Since last night? No, why…?”

“Darn it! I really want to know how his lunch went with the girl he likes!”

“O-Oh, really?”

“Yeah! My friends and I listen to you almost every day, and when we heard Vernon the first time he called, we fell in love with the story so much!”

“Oh, wow, that’s crazy. Uh, well, keep listening then in case he does call back…!”

“Will do, thanks, Honey!”

A big part of you hopes that Hansol doesn’t call back because each time he does, you can feel that he’s getting closer and closer to figuring out that you’re Honey. But there’s always that small part of you really hopes he does because you’re starting to think that he likes you just as much as you like him.

“You heard it here. Vernon, if you’re out there listening, please call! Your listeners are waiting,” you teased. “Caller number eleven, holla ~”

“Hey, Honey and Wonwoo!” a deeper voice greeted. “So this is more of a question for Wonwoo, is that cool?”

“Ask away, dude,” you said as Wonwoo wiped his face clean.

“So I’ve been with this girl for a couple of nightly flings, right? Like, four times max. Well, this morning I woke up with a rash and I don’t know what to do…”

“Oh, you poor thing, go see a doctor -”

“Honey, please,” Wonwoo interrupted. “I got this. So first you wanna get on WebMD…”

—

“And that’s how I found out the guy I made out with at the club was my TA! Can you believe that!?”

“All of you guys live quite a life, you know?” you told your listeners. “I love living vicariously through you.”

“I wish I could party with you, Honey! I bet all the unsuspecting TAs would be all over you ~!”

“Hey, I mean, as long as they’re not married.”

“… I probably should have asked my TA that…”

“… Good luck with that. Ok ~ next caller! Lucky number thirty-one, you’re the one!”

“Thirty-one isn’t a lucky number. And you can’t rhyme a word with the same word, silly.”

You swallowed hard at the familiar voice. So Hansol called after all. A smile tugged at your lips knowing that he had been listening to your show since it started two hours ago. Wonwoo gave you two thumbs up as a gesture of encouragement.

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t everyone’s favorite caller, Vernon.”

“That’s quite flattering.”

“Seems you’re the talk of the town. We’ve had maybe five callers ask about you and the miss. Let’s get straight to the point, shall we? How was lunch today?”

“It was kind of embarrassing. My meal was literally twice the size of hers and she watched me inhale all of it.”

“I always say if they aren’t disgusted with the way you eat, they’re definitely a keeper.”

“Really? That makes me feel a lot better.”

“Glad to hear that lunch went well. How do you feel about her?”

“Ugh, I still feel like I barely know her! I even asked what she likes to do on her free time, but it somehow got switched around and I told her what I like to do.”

“On the bright side, that leaves you with more to talk about when you hang out again. _Are_ you hanging out with her again?” you asked, trying to hint to Hansol what he should do.

“I have yet to ask her.”

“Is there something holding you back?”

“I…” he paused. You sat at the edge of your seat, eagerly awaiting his response. “I just feel like we’re not meant to be.”

That one sentence made your heart sink deeper than what any other guy had ever done to you.

“Why do you say that?” you asked quietly.

“I barely know her. She’s a friend of a friend at most before all of this happened. Before I met her, I was this player who got with any girl that I wanted - you know my backstory, I told you the first time I called! And then when I met her, I just… stopped being that way…”

“I still don’t understand why you think you’re not meant to be with her.”

“Have you ever been in love, Honey?” he asked. His question made your heart jump. “Or been in my situation?”

“Yes,” you admitted truthfully. “Why?”

“You know those small, seemingly meaningless moments when you look at them and you just can’t help but smile? Or when you notice the small things like when their nose scrunches when they get annoyed? Or when you’re not with them and your mind just kind of drifts over to them?”

You felt your cheeks fluster. “I love those moments.”

“Well, those moments made me realize that there’s no way that someone like me could be with someone like her, you know? Some jack-off kid with someone as intelligent as her? No way! How is it that someone I barely know is making me feel all of theses _things_!? Did I tell you we held hands last night? My whole hand was burning, I seriously thought I was dying.”

“Jeez, I wasn’t kidding when I said you were afraid of committment, huh?” you teased to lighten the mood.

“You were right on the money on that one. What do I do? Am I overthinking again? Should I just end it?”

“Do you want to end it?”

“No, I don’t.”

“You didn’t even hesitate,” you said, holding back your smile. “That more than answers your questions.”

“But -”

“No buts! Can you do me a favor, Vernon?”

“What’s that?”

“Stop worrying so much. You’re ruining the experiences you’re having with her for yourself that you’re not even enjoying the little things that make falling for someone worthwhile. Just go with the flow for now.”

“Go with the flow…”

“Can you do one more thing for me?”

“What’s that?”

“Call her tonight.”

—

“Hansol?” you answered once you got home. You tried to act surprised when he called.

“H-Hey,” he stuttered. “What are you up to?”

“About to inhale a dozen cookies. How about you?”

“Just laying in bed.”

“Were you thinking about how cool I am and thought, ‘ _damn, I should call her right now and tell her that_ ’?”

“Wow, it’s like you read my mind,” he said sarcastically. “Hey… I miss you.”

Whoa, Honey didn’t tell him to say _that_.

“U-Uh, what… What did you say?”

“I said I miss you.”

“… Do you really?”

“I do.”

“I miss you, too, Hansol.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Extremely dialogue-heavy, platonic Wonwoo x reader, swearing, and mentions of American Fraternity life

“A party tonight, huh?” Wonwoo said, swinging around in his chair. “What kind of party?”

“What do you mean what kind of party, it’s a college party,” you said as-a-matter-of-factly.

“The type of college party that Hansol invited you to is just as important as the invite itself!”

“How?”

“If it’s a birthday party, he’s trying to claim you. Well, _claim_ is such a terrible word, but I don’t know how else to explain it. Assuming the birthday party is most likely hosted by someone he’s close to, he wants to show you off to his friends and show you how serious he is. A fraternity party, on the other hand, is way different.”

“So what if he’s taking me to a frat party?”

“ _Fraternity_ , you uncultured swine, not _frat_ ,” Wonwoo scolded. “And I’ll kill him.”

“What, why!?”

“The sole purpose of a fraternity hosting a party that isn’t the afterset to one of their cancer-saving bullshit philanthropy events is to get the entire house laid. Lots of drunk, sexy people in one room gets things going, you know? Trust me on this one, I know from hands-on experience and it works every time, so if he’s trying to take you to a damn Sigma Tau party, I’ll kill him. Their parties always suck, anyways.”

“I always forget that you’re in a fraternity,” you snorted.

“Why? I’m hot enough to be in one.”

“It’s because you’re such a fuckin’ nerd.”

“Nerds can wear letters, too, you independent,” he pouted. “So what kind of party is it?”

“It’s Soonyoung’s birthday party.”

“Oh, cool! I’ll see you there then.”

“You’re going!? Thanks for the invite!” you scolded.

“I swear I was going to invite you literally right after this discussion. But hey, Hansol beat me to it, so good for him.”

“I’m not cool enough to be invited to parties, ok, that’s why I rely on you to tell me once you get the invite!”

“It slipped my mind, I’m sorry! I’ll remember next time!”

“Can I go with you tonight?”

“Why? Hansol’s not picking you up?”

“He’s helping set up, so he’ll be there already.”

“I mean, I _guess_ we could go together,” he said sarcastically. “Just don’t, you know, do what you always do and look awkward.”

“I might as well not go at all.”

“I’m kidding! But you have to take a shot with me once we walk in, no chaser.”

“Of what…”

“Silver tequila ~”

“You’re the devil incarnate,” you groaned, feeling yourself gagging already. “Fine.”

“Hurray! HonWoo ‘bouta turn up!”

“Never say that again. Hurry and press the button,” you sighed, slumping in your seat. Tonight was going to be a long night and you had no idea what to expect. But now wasn’t the time to worry.

“On-air in three… two… one…”

“What’s up, everyone!?” you greeted. “You’re on-air with _Honey Time Radio_ , with Honey at the mic and Dj Wonwoo on the beat. It is a warm, thirsty Thursday evening, which means $10 bottles of soju at Ahjooma’s Corner! Make sure you stop on by and grab a bottle of soju while you’re eating with your friends, your significant other, or even your employer whom you’re trying to get drunk so you can get that raise! Mine and Wonwoo’s favorite flavor is the green apple soju. This is definitely sponsored content, but I was not paid to say that Ahjooma’s Corner has the best soondubu-jjigae ever, besides my mother’s. Love you, mom!

“For our first segment of the show tonight, we have a submission sent in by an anonymous listener. ‘ _Hey, Honey & Wonwoo! I’m a returning listener who has called for advice before, but I’m too nervous to call again because my identity might be found out! So here’s the thing; there’s this guy that I have been trying to get his attention, but every time I try, I either chicken out or he leaves right away to talk to someone else! I tried your advice last time, like small conversation starters, but I don’t think he’s that kind of person. There’s a party tonight and he’s going to be there. If he’s not into small talk, what do you think I should do?_’”

You squinted at the submission on your laptop screen. Why did this scenario sound so familiar?

“Sounds like you’re in quite the pickle, anonymous,” you commented, a bit discouraged that your advice didn’t work, but glad they came back to ask. “You must really like him, huh? Well, if my advice didn’t work last time, I’d hate to ruin it a second time. Maybe Wonwoo can help?”

“Really!? Ah, it’s my time to shine!” he said while cracking his knuckles. “My advice is coming from my perspective - a _guy’s_ perspective. I’m a lot like your guy in the sense that I hate small talk, too. I feel like the party scene is a lot easier to work with because you have a lot more leeway to break the ice. Does your guy like to drink? Ask him if he wants you to get a drink and start talking that way. Does he like drinking games? Ask him to be your partner. Does he like to dance? This one’s a bit more daring, but if you know how to bump n’ grind on the dance floor, that’ll _really_ get his attention, if you know what I mean ~” Wonwoo chuckled at your gross expression. “It seems like he doesn’t like his time being wasted, so get straight to the point right away. Hope that helps.”

“You know, usually I would rather eat the cafeteria food than listen to Wonwoo’s advice, but that was actually pretty good…” you mused. “We should switch roles for a night.”

“I would never let you touch my soundboard. Only my fingers can make such magical sounds.”

“Why do you say things like that, it’s so weird… Anyways, we wish you all the best, Anonymous! Let us know how it went. Let’s take our first caller!”

—

“And that’s all for tonight, everyone. Tomorrow rings in a new day, so make sure you take the bull by the horns and seize it. Or something along those lines. You understand, what I mean, right? I’d like to give a special shoutout to a special listener by the name of Soonyoung. Happy birthday, Soonyoung! Stay safe at your party tonight. And as always, everyone else stay safe tonight, too. Use our Lyft code aka our official ship name, #HonWoo, for 20% off your ride. Thanks for listening, everyone. This is Honey signing off.”

“How did you manage to get us an Ahjooma’s Corner ad _and_ a Lyft code?” Wonwoo asked after pressing the offline button. “The step team has been trying to get sponsors from both of them since forever!”

“Jeonghan’s like, the head chef or whatever at Ahjooma’s Corner and Seungkwan’s the brand ambassador for Lyft.”

“Seungkwan, that pink bastard,” Wonwoo cursed. “Are you going back to your apartment to change?”

“Yeah, I can’t go there looking like _this_.”

“Good, ‘cuz you look like trash.”

“You’re a great friend.”

When you got back to your apartment, it was already 10:30 which was thirty minutes after the party started but thirty minutes before the party _started_. In those remaining thirty minutes, you spent twenty-five of those throwing out every outfit you tried on, unsatisfied with the results.

“ _Yah_ , what’s taking you so long!?” Wonwoo yelled from your couch. “All the jungle juice is gonna be gone!”

“I don’t know what to wear!”

“It’s a fucking party, not the Yule Ball!”

“Can you shut up!? I’m done, for Christ’s sake!”

“If you take any longer, I’m gonna get you so drunk that Hansol’s gonna be the one carrying your ass back here -”

Wonwoo’s blabbering mouth fell silent when you left your room all ready to go. He didn’t know how you did it, but you managed to fix your hair, face, and get dressed in such a short amount of time and still look decent. Tonight, you didn’t look like _____. Tonight, you looked like _Honey_.

“Damn,” he said. “You look… put together for once. Tryna shake up Hansol?”

“Ugh, you complimenting me makes me feel uglier somehow.”

“I try to be nice _one_ time…”

The walk to Soonyoung’s didn’t more than ten minutes. When you were a block away from the house, you could already hear the bumping music, loud cheers, and see the bright, colorful strobe lights. This party looked like it was straight out of an American college party movie, making Mingyu’s party look like the seventh grade sock hop.

“ _Jisoo Christ_ ,” Wonwoo whistled. “Soonyoung really meant it when he said he was going to outdo his twenty-first…”

“Someone’s gotta clean all of that up eventually…”

“That’s what pledges are for,” he smirked. “C’mon, you promised me a tequila shot.”

The inside of the house was _moist_ \- it wreaked of booze, sweat, and lots of sugar. You and Wonwoo squeezed your way through the crowd to the kitchen, exchanging hellos to familiar faces and quick kisses on the cheek from drunk friends (who knew Minghao was so affectionate when drunk?)

A tall, double shot of clear poison glared at you, accompanied by its groupies lime and salt. The more you smelled the ethanol-like stench of tequila, the more you felt yourself gag.

“Cheers to a good night, _____,” Wonwoo said as you both raised your glasses. “May the alcohol be ever in our favor.”

With the cling of the glass, you licked the mound of salt, downed the juice, and sucked on a lime wedge. No amount of limes and salt could ease the burn of liquor travelling down your throat. One double shot in and you already felt like dying.

“Ha,” Wonwoo giggled. “Look at your face.”

“Taking a shot without the birthday boy!?” A familiar voice yelled, swinging his bare arm around your shoulder. A sweaty Soonyoung hugged you tightly as he grabbed a shot glass of his own. “Pour me one, Wonwoo.”

“Ugh, can’t we take something else?” you groaned, still not over the taste.

“Does Hennessey suit your needs, Princess _____?”

“Can I get a chaser?”

“Nuh uh, shorty,” Soonyoung grinned. “House rules - any shot with the birthday boy is straight.”

“God, you’re such a _bro_.” The gold liquid didn’t sting as much as tequila, but didn’t really taste any better. You felt the intoxication take over your body, hazing your vision, but you didn’t mind at all, although you probably should have ate before coming… Soonyoung squeezed your shoulder as a thank you for taking a shot with him.

“Have you seen Hansol?” you yelled over the music.

“You’re like the third girl that’s asked me tonight. Is it his birthday, too, or something!?” he pouted.

“Well, he’s the one that invited me -”

“He probably invited every fucking girl here,” he snorted. “He’s probably on the dance floor.”

“I’ll be heading there, then.”

“Wait, me too!”

Soonyoung had his hands over your shoulders, guiding you through the house to the living room, where the real party was happening. A sober Mingyu was the Dj for tonight, who apparently claimed that after his birthday, he was never going to drink again, or at least until after midterms. The entire room was packed with people, bodies swaying and grinding to the music, that you couldn’t even distinguish faces.

“Do you see him?” you asked Soonyoung, who clung to you closer in his drunk state.

“Yeah, but he seems a bit _preoccupied_ …”

Your eyes followed to where Soonyoung pointed. Right in the middle of the dance floor was a flushed Hansol, grinding behind some poor soul who got caught in the same trap you were in. Even in your tipsy state, you recognized her - she was the same girl who Hansol said was bland at Mingyu’s party, the same girl who called that night to ask for advice on how to get his attention, and the same girl who anonymously sent you a submission a few hours ago on how to _actually_ get his attention.

God, how could you be so stupid and not put the pieces together?

“Hyejin actually did it,” Soonyoung cheered behind you. “She’s been trying to talk to Hansol since their freshman year. About fuckin’ time. Who knew Wonwoo gave great advice.”

Oh, that’s right. Wonwoo was the one who advised her.

Do all guys think the fucking same?

Hyejin turned around, now facing Hansol as he kept his arms tightly wrapped around her tiny waist. Their faces were so close, any closer they would be making out and it made you want to throw up. In a room full of sweaty, sexually-driven drunk adults, the spotlight was on them, at least to you it was. The alcohol was really starting to kick in as your mind flashed through every smile, every laugh, and every form of affection that Hansol ever gave you.

In those moments, in such a short amount of time, you felt like you could fly.

But now, you felt like just another check off his list. And he was another one off of yours.

Six. That made six total guys who fucked you over.

Should you even be surprised at this point? But maybe you were overreacting… It’s not like you were even officially together. But why did it still hurt?

“Are you ok?” Soonyoung asked, shaking your shoulders. “You’re not going to throw up, are you? ‘Cuz that would suck.”

You snatched a cup of mystery drink from someone’s hand and chugged it down, ignoring the taste of cheap cinnamon liquer.

“Wanna dance?” you asked bitterly.

“Do you know how long I’ve been waiting for you to ask me that?” he slurred. “Years, _____, _years_. Fucking finally, let’s go.”

You were shocked when Soonyoung gently took your hand and led you towards the middle of the dance floor. You were even more shocked that you were having a lot of fun using him as a distraction to get your mind off of Hansol for the night.

But you were most shocked when you locked eyes with a Hansol after the fifth song with Soonyoung.

You weren’t even dancing that risque with him. Dancing with Soonyoung was filled with laughs and smiles from the goofiness that you shared together. Hansol watched you hunch over from laughing so hard too many times for him to count. You may not have had your ass grinding up against Soonyoung crotch, but not once did you let go of his hand. He twirled you, dipped you, swung you around like a boyfriend would.

Somehow imagining you grinding up against Soonyoung seemed less painful than the scene before him.

When you saw Hansol looking at you, you might have felt guilty from seeing how pale his face was if he wasn’t still glued to Hyejin. But since that was the case, you broke the chilling eye contact quickly and put all your attention to Soonyoung. It was satisfying knowing that you could finally get payback for all the shit you fell for.

“_____ ~!” Soonyoung groaned, tired from all the dancing. “I need to rehydrate!”

“Jungle juice?” you challenged.

“Jungle juice!”

—

“Wonwoo ~!” you screeched, stumbling into the kitchen. After the whole dance floor incident, you spent the rest of the night drinking whatever was in front of you to numb your entire body, Now it was almost three in the morning and you were drunk off your ass and achieved the optimal amount of numbness. Most of the guests left the house with the exception of Wonwoo and Soonyoung’s friends and a couple of girls that wanted to stay. This included Hansol and Hyejin, who stood next to each other with at least one inch of space between them for once.

You let out an obnoxious groan at the sight.

“What, you alcoholic?” he teased. 

“Take me home.”

“Why don’t you ask Han -”

“ _HONEY TIME RADIO_ ,” you interrupted loudly, causing Wonwoo’s eyes to widen. You didn’t even want to hear his name. “Is… A great show…!”

“Oh, I love _Honey Time_!” Soonyoung chimed, wrapping his arm around you again.

“Ew, since when were you two this close?” Wonwoo asked.

“Since… Today! Happy birthday!” you cheered. “Please, can you take me home…?”

“You can stay the night if you want,” Soonyoung offered.

“ _Nope_ , nuh-uh, I won’t allow it. Hansol, walk her home -”

“Ugh, shut up for once, Wonwoo!” you scolded. The whole room was silent at your outburst, but you didn’t care. You certainly didn’t care for Hansol’s hurt expression, either. “Forget it, I’ll go by myself.”

“ _Yah_ , _____ -!”

You stormed off into the dark streets. The beginning of the night was a lot warmer, but now you could feel every goosebump on your exposed skin. It felt numbing, but you didn’t care anymore. You were drunk, exhausted, and over it.

You knew someone was following behind you. You hoped it was either Wonwoo, Soonyoung, and even Mingyu, but you prayed to God it wasn’t Hansol - he was the last person you wanted to see. But normally, Wonwoo would be nagging you for being such a brat just now, Soonyoung would have walked really close to you, and Mingyu would have pulled you into a headlock. But the person behind you did neither of those things.

Hansol watched the way you walked in front of him. At first, your stride was angry - you stomped the concrete like you hate it. To be honest, it was really cute. But then you progressively got slower, dragging your feet and hanging your head low. You looked tired - no, exhausted - mentally, physically, emotionally, and it was all his fault.

You felt a heavy jacket get thrown over you shoulders before you fell face-first on the grass in front of you.

“Oh, shit,” Hansol said, kneeling beside you. “My bad. Are you ok?”

“Don’t touch me,” you muttered into the ground. “I’ll just lay here.”

“Then I’ll lay with you.”

“No, I don’t want you to.”

“Unless you can get up, you don’t have much of a choice, do you?”

“I can just _feel_ your smug smirk piercing through me. I want to smack that smirk off of your dumb, beautiful face,” you threatened.

Hansol gently helped you up from the ground and held you at arms length. One hand plucked pieces of grass from your hair while the other kept you from swaying side-to-side. He couldn’t hold in his growing grin when you pouted at him with sleepy, half-lidded eyes.

“I said don’t touch me…”

“Why?”

“Because I’m not Hyejin.”

“And I’m not Soonyoung.”

“Obviously not by the way you danced with Hyejin tonight. Soonyoung can dance _way_ better than you ever could! And it was the best time of my life!”

Hansol knows the intention behind your words was meant to hurt him, and to be honest, it did, but the way that you were acting was so cute that he ignored the slight sting in his chest.

“Do you want me to call him to walk you home instead?” he challenged, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Yes.”

“Ah, you were supposed to say no.”

You ignored his comment as you stumbled passed him, making your way home once more. Hansol continued to follow behind you, catching you at least three more times when you tripped on the uneven sidewalk, earning himself another three snarky remarks about how you weren’t Hyejin and to keep his hands off of you.

When you stood in front of you apartment, you chucked the jacket harshly in his face.

“I deserve that,” he said.

“Go home.”

“Are you jealous of Hyejin?”

“Are you jealous of Soonyoung?”

“Yes,” he admitted without hesitation, catching you off guard. “And Wonwoo. And Mingyu. And any guy who comes even close to you.”

“Why?” you scoffed.

“Are you jealous of Hyejin?” he repeated. The small smirk on his face told you he already knew the answer.

“… Yes.”

“Ok,” he smirk widened. “Good night, _____.”

“Wait, what? You can’t just leave! Now I have questions!” you cried.

“I’ll answer them when I see you tomorrow.”

“That’s funny, because I definitely don’t remember agreeing to that.”

“It’s my way of saying I want to see you tomorrow.” And before you realized it, Hansol started to back away, making him the winner of this sad argument. He winked, smiling at the charming way you blushed so easily. “Sweet dreams, _____.”

You slept two whole hours that night.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the support thus far! You all make writing this series so much fun and worthwhile. This series is almost over!! Here's a playlist to listen to:
> 
> https://open.spotify.com/user/4b29eqej6t2h6ny6ji80mj88j/playlist/2XbbiH8RUc8GqmwmFlBRAC?si=760m-vyjTFusHhGUY0-MjA

You slept two whole hours that night.

And then you went to your 8 AM.

And then you left fifteen minutes in because you could feel the throw up creep up your throat.

You crashed a few times while hunched over the toilet before crawling back into bed face first with drool trickling down the corner of your mouth. You needed at least another fourteen hours of sleep before you could hold a decent conversation without wanting to puke up last night’s tequila.

Yeah, you were definitely not going to class today.

Your entire body felt like it weighed a ton and your head felt double that amount. Luckily, seeing the room spin as you laid to die in your bed felt like you were being rocked to sleep.

“Wake up, sleeping beauty ~,” you heard Wonwoo sing hours later.

“Leave me here to die,” you mumbled into your pillow. “How did you even get inside?”

“I know where you keep your spare key.”

“What the fuck, Wonwoo,” you groaned. “Ugh, what do you want?”

“You weren’t in class today and you didn’t answer any of my texts or calls so I thought you died,” he said, spinning in your desk chair near your bed.

“Ok, well, I’m alive, so leave because I’m mad at you.”

“What, why!?”

You sighed, sitting up way too quickly. “When I asked you to walk me home, all you did was push Hansol to do it instead. He was the _last_ person I wanted to take me home!”

“Did something happen?”

“Yeah, you know that piece of advice you gave to our anonymous submission yesterday? Turns out that it was Hyejin who’s been trying to hook up with Hansol since their freshman year.”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“It matters because I saw their genitals touching.”

“ _EW_ , you walked in on them doing it!? I’m gonna kill him, I swear to God -”

“No, no, not that! It might as well have been that, but no, they had their pants on.”

“Oh, were they just dancing? God, _____, why can’t you just say things normally,” he chuckled, hopping on your bed next to you. “So you were jealous ~ ?”

“No…” you lied. “But riddle me this: if you were talking to someone who you were interested in because you were a great fucking actor and made it seem like you liked them a lot -” Wonwoo snorted at your bitter tone. “- and then you invited them to a party, would you go off and dance with someone else? And stay by their side the whole fucking night?”

“C’mon, I know you’re not stupid. You had to have known that he was going to invite a bunch of other girls. Soonyoung isn’t one for sausage fests.”

“I get that, but Hansol has called the show a total of three times now. About me! You’d think he’d, I don’t know, want to like, _woo_ me over or something by now, right?”

“Oh, my God, you’re so jealous.”

“I am not! I’m just extremely confused! Like, how is he going to call the show, ask me for advice on how to win me over, and then be with some other girl who has also called the show to ask how to win _him_ over!? Either way, I’m the one left alone!”

“That’s not true, it looked like you and Soonyoung hit it off quite nicely,” Wonwoo smirked.

“Don’t remind me.”

“What, c’mon, Soonyoung’s cool!”

“Stop getting off topic!” you scolded, hitting him with your pillow.

“Ow, why do you hit so hard!” he hissed. “But I saw Hansol run after you when you stormed out the house like a brat.”

“Yeah, he basically walked me home and then said some weird, cheesy shit like, ‘ _Are you jealous of Hyejin? Oh, you are? Good. I’ll see you tomorrow then_ ’ and I was like ‘ _What the hell, I didn’t even agree to see you!_ ’ and he was like ‘ _That’s my way of telling you that I wanna see you tomorrow_.’ Douchebag…”

“You do a really good Hansol impression, it’s weird. You’re seeing him later then?”

“I don’t know, he hasn’t texted me at all yet, but that’s good because I don’t want to see him.”

“Wow, you’re such a _tsundere_.”

“A _what_? Is this another one of your weeb terms!?”

“It means you switch back and forth between cold and hot emotions too frequently. And yes, it is.”

“Ok whatever, it doesn’t change my mind, or anything!”

“You’re such a liar, you want nothing more than to see him! Just suck it up and go!”

“No!” you pouted.

“Well, you better make up your mind now, because he’s calling you.”

“What?”

Wonwoo hands you your vibrating phone. A picture of Hansol sleeping on his notebook from one of the times you helped him study lit up your phone. His curly hair covered his face and his plush lips were slightly parted. You hated how cute you made him look. You tried to convince yourself it was just all the filters.

“Goddammit… H-Hello?” you stuttered into the speaker.

“How are you all-talk a second ago and now you’re a stuttering mess? I wish I had that effect on women…” Wonwoo muttered, pressing his ear on the other side of your phone to listen to your conversation.

“Hey, sunshine,” you heard the teasing tone in his voice. “Sleep well last night?”

“I slept for two hours.”

“Yikes, that doesn’t sound like fun. Do you remember anything from last night?”

You bit your tongue to hold in the probably the most sarcastic sentence you could ever say. Of course you remember last night! Was he just trying to get under your skin? You felt your eye twitching furiously.

This is it, this is you having a stroke.

“I do remember,” you stated briefly.

“Are you mad at me?”

“No,” you lied. “Why would I be mad at you?”

“If I do remember correctly, you refused to let me walk you home and repeatedly said, ‘ _I’m not Hyejin ~_ ’”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about… And I don’t sound like that…”

“Well, can I still meet up with you today to help jog your memory?”

“Actually, Wonwoo and I are working on _Honey Time_ for tonight -”

“After that,” Vernon begged. “After the show. It doesn’t matter what time, as long as I see you. Please?”

You sighed loudly into the receiver, making it known that you weren’t in the mood for playing games with him. “Fine.”

“Really? Great! I’Il call you at ten.”

“Ok, I’ll hear from you then.”

When you hung up, you turned to look at Wonwoo, who had the biggest smirk on his face.

“Don’t,” you warned.

“You’re ~”

“Don’t say it.”

“So ~”

“Don’t you _dare_ , Jeon Wonwoo!”

“ _Weak_ ”.

“Fuck…” you sighed, throwing a blanket over yourself. “I know…”

“It’s like 3:00 right now. Can you even make it to the studio later?”

“Definitely not. Can we go to our ‘ _back up studio_ ’ today?” you asked, referring to your living room floor and coffee table.

“Fine, I’ll set it up in a bit. In the mean time, you should probably eat something.”

“Can you make me ramyun?”

“What? No, you lazy shit, you do it.”

“But you make it better than I do!” you whined. “Please ~?”

“Ok, but I’m eating one, too! And I’m eating your ice cream!”

“I want egg and cheese in mine.”

—

“He’s gonna call,” you said, settling down in front of your laptop. Wonwoo arranged the set up of the makeshift so that the microphones and your laptop were on the table while he was on the kitchen table with most of his equipment. Wonwoo busied himself at his soundboard. “He’s gonna call. He’s totally going to call tonight! What do I do!?”

“You’re going to do your job and give him advice,” he stated bluntly.

“This _conflict of interest_ thing is biting me in the ass.”

“I told you this before. I warned you that it was going to bite you in the ass, and now here you are, stuck in this dilemma like in those dramas you watch.”

“He hasn’t found me out yet, so I’m in the clear for now, but I just don’t know where to go from here with him, you know?” you frowned.

“Have you ever asked yourself how you feel about him?”

“I - No, actually, I don’t think so.”

“Then I’ll ask. How do you feel about him?”

There was a reason why you never asked yourself that question - it was sort of complicated. You’ve known Hansol for a couple of years now, but you never got to _really_ know him until about two weeks ago. The most you ever knew about him was that he existed and that his smile was a show-stopper. Oh, and thanks to _Honey_ , you found out he was the ‘get in, get out’ hookup type of guy.

But in the short amount of time you’ve gotten to know him better, as cliché as it may seem, it was hard for you to see him that way before last night. With you, he was sweet, funny, polite, and didn’t even try to make a move on you. But after last night, you didn’t know what to think, really. Maybe that was just one of his many techniques he uses to get what he wants.

Maybe it was best to just cut it off now, before you get hurt.

“I like him,” you admitted sadly. “If what I saw last night didn’t happen, I think I could have come to like him a lot. But now I just see him like I see every other guy - horny and problematic.”

“Ok listen, if I were you, I would do one of two things: define the relationship slash whatever weird feelings you have for each other or end it because it got way too messy way too quickly.”

“Those are like the only two options that I _don’t_ want to do.”

“You don’t really have much of a choice, do you?”

“I can’t believe I’m about to pull the ‘ _so, what are we?_ ’ card.”

“You need to!”

“I know, I just really don’t want to ~” you cried, stretching your torso across the coffee table.

“You never want to do anything. But for the love of God, trust me on this, ok?” Wonwoo’s tone was serious for the first time in a while, and when he was serious, you knew he was worried. “Hansol’s not that smart, so you might have to literally spell it out for his dumb ass.”

“I hate it when you’re right.”

“You must _despise_ me, then.”

“I do. I really do.”

“You’re going to hate me even more because I’m about to press the button ~”

“Ugh, just get it over with.”

You thought after a couple more hours of sleep and a whole bowl of ramyun, you’re body would have recovered at least a little bit. But no, just thinking about the possibilities of Hansol - _Vernon_ \- calling you tonight was making your headaches much worse. It didn’t help that you were going to listen to him rant about how sorry he was or how he was never going to do it again later tonight. When the previous guys played you dirty, you stopped listening to apologies after the third guy, who was literally on his knees the whole time.

But of course, as you always made excuses for him, Hansol was different. So let’s hope that after tonight, some things will be solved.

“What’s good, everyone ~? You are on-air with the two most beautiful people in the studio, Honey and Wonwoo. Sorry if the audio is a little different today. I, uh, fell ill, so Wonwoo and I had to record at my apartment,” you lied gracefully. “Tonight is dedicated to our listeners who are feeling a little lonely lately - a little out of place right now. Like you can’t help but feel like there’s something or someone missing in your life. You know, like there’s an entire part of you that is missing. But it’s not that you are _incomplete_ without that piece, it’s that you just don’t feel content without it. Like how you don’t necessarily need both of your kidneys to live, but you just function better with both? Kind of like that… I guess… So here’s to you all who are still trying to find that piece of you out there in this big world. I promise you that you’ll find it one day.

“Jeez, the phones are really blowing up today, huh? Caller number fifteen, what twists your spleen?”

“Any news on Vernon!?”

“Ah, Vernon,” you sighed bitterly. You were definitely not surprised this was what your first call was about. “I haven’t heard anything from him since the last time he called. Is that why there’s so many of you on the lines tonight!?”

“Almost definitely.”

“When did this become _Vernon Time Radio_!?”

“Honestly, the first time he ever called,” your caller swooned. “My girls and I fell in love with his voice and we can’t get enough of it! And the story! The story, ugh, it’s so romantic ~ We’re all hoping to find our Vernon one day ~!”

Wonwoo snickered at your disgusted, twisted face as you listened to your caller praise Hansol. “Well, keep listening and maybe he’ll call! Hey Vernon, if you’re listening, please call so you can take over the show…! Again…!”

 _So bitter,_ Wonwoo scribbled on his notebook.

“Caller eighteen, I don’t know what rhymes with eighteen, so what’s up?”

“Honey, Wonwoo, I did it!” a familiar voice squealed. “I took your advice and I did!”

“Hey, awesome! … Remind us again what you did, exactly?”

“I was the anonymous letter yesterday! And the anonymous caller from like, two weeks ago. I took Wonwoo’s advice and I made the first move!”

“Yeah, Wonwoo’s pretty _flippin’_ good at it, huh?” Wonwoo gave you an innocent smile after you sneered at him. Hopefully your comment wasn’t too passive aggressive for the listeners. Now was your chance to get Hyejin’s side of the story. At least this way, Hansol couldn’t get away with lying to you if he tried, right? You weren’t sure if you were anxious, angry, or sad that you were about to have this discussion right now. “So how did it happen?”

“I just went up to him and asked him to dance! A little liquid courage helped me, of course, but it worked, can you believe it!?”

“I’m happy it worked out for you. Did you like, ask him to get a drink first, or you just jumped the gun right away? I’m only asking details in case our girl listeners wanna know, too, y’know…”

“Oh, for sure! I did ask if he wanted a drink first, but then he said no because he was waiting for someone else to arrive? I don’t know, but I kind of feel bad for that person because he stayed with me the entire night.”

You could feel the irritation and annoyance build up every second you heard Hyejin speak. You felt bad because it wasn’t fair to her that she had no idea why you were angry at Hansol and Men™ in general, but her being tangled up in your mess still made your blood boil a bit. More like a simmer.

“Wow, maybe he really likes you. Did he end up staying the night?” you pushed.

“No, unfortunately, but I was so close!” 

“Close?” your voice cracked. “How so?”

“He walked me home that night and then we _kissed_! Ah, I felt like I was in a cheesy American movie! I tried so hard to get him to stay, but he said he had to wake up early the next day. But we kissed! Oh, you should have been there, it was so romantic! It was under the stars and it was short, but super sweet ~ That’s progress, right!?”

You were so in shock at her words that you forgot you were on-air for a minute. Hearing the cursed word ‘kiss’ made you want to throw up all over again. “Uh, yeah, that’s definitely progress… Did you initiate that, too, or was that him that time?”

“Oh gosh, I can’t even remember because I was so surprised!”

“That’s ok. Well hey, congratulations to you, caller number eighteen. Maybe we should include a Wonwoo segment for our future shows,” you joked half-heartedly. “Call us if you need anymore help.”

“I definitely will! Thanks, Honey and Wonwoo!”

“You’re welcome. We’ll be taking a quick break as I run to the bathroom to pee for a couple of minutes. I drank a lot of fluids today. Dj Wonwoo, play a beat.”

When Wonwoo turned off the microphones, you shoved your face into the nearest pillow and screamed. You couldn’t believe a word that Hyejin just told you! That Hansol was a piece of work. A two-timing piece of work. Yesterday, he really walked you home, told you with the warmest and loving smile that he wanted to see you the next day, and then proceeded to walk some other poor soul home and ended up kissing her! Why did you _always_ receive the short end of the stick!?

“Are you ok…?” Wonwoo asked carefully.

“I hate _all men_ , both alive and dead,” you muttered sadly.

“I understand that completely.”

“He kissed her, Wonwoo. He walked me home, went back, walked her home, and kissed her!”

“Just let him explain himself tonight -”

“Oh, I will. I will let him explain his entire excuse, and then you know what I’m going to do after that?”

“Tell him to fuck off?”

“Tell him to fuck off!” You got up from your seat from being way too heated to sit still. After getting a drink from your kitchen, you paced the floor in front of an exhausted Wonwoo who looked like he was staring at the camera like he was in The Office. “And you know what I’m going to do after that!?”

“Knowing you, make him jealous somehow.”

“Fuck yeah, that’s what I’m going to do! I’m -” you paused when you tried to think of something that would really grind Hansol’s gears. Oh, how about - “I’m going to… make out with… Soonyoung!”

“Ew!”

“Yeah, that’s not going to work…”

“Think about it later, we have an audience waiting, you nutcase.”

“Oh, shit, you’re right.” You put your headphones back on and continued on with your show. “And we’re back! Thanks for tuning into the city’s most-listened to radio show. This is Honey speaking, and today is quite the dynamic Friday, if you ask me. Everyone I’ve encountered today has either had an extremely positive and exciting day or has experienced their lowest lows in a long time. How are you feeling, Wonwoo?”

“I’m feeling great!”

“Of course you are,” you pouted bitterly. “Wonwoo and I are the same person one day but could be polar opposites the next, there’s really no in between. Because of how sick I’m feeling, and just things not going my way lately, I’ve been feeling like _shit_ for a while now -”

“Language!”

“Ah, shut up. Anyways, for those of you who are feeling like me and just not the same lately, let’s hope that this feeling will pass soon. I’m with you all on this one. Ok, enough sad talk! Let’s hear from caller number two. Number two, you’re on the line.”

“Hey,” you heard Hansol sigh into his phone. “It’s me again ~”

“The city’s favorite lover boy,” you sneered. “What brings you to us this time?”

“I think I fucked up.”

“Yeah, men tend to do that.” Wonwoo chucked a pillow at you to make sure you don’t go about one of your feminist rants again. “Ow, ok, sorry! So, uh, what did you mess up on this time?”

“It’s a long story, so get comfortable.”

“You heard him, listeners, get comfortable. Everyone’s been waiting all day for this.”

“So I finally asked her to hang out after we held hands that one night. Well, it wasn’t so much as hanging out as I just invited her to go to a party together… but the right intentions were all there!”

“Oh, yeah? What were they?”

“I wanted to be there with her. I wanted us to have fun together around all of our friends with good music playing and good vibes. I wanted to dance with her so badly… God, I had this all planned out in my head! I would meet her at the door right away, we’d take a few shots maybe, and we’d dance the night away and I’d have my arms wrapped around her tightly the whole night. I would have never let her go… I had it planned out to the second, I swear.”

You cupped your cheeks in distress - stressed from hearing his true intentions, from still being angry at him, and blushing at the thought of his arms around your waist if you two danced last night.

“And then of course, you know, I fucked it up like, thirty minutes into the party! I was there early because I was helping Soonyoung set up, right? And then the very first wave of people that come in were these girls who are our friends and I think one of them has a crush on me or something so she tried to make a move and of course I wasn’t feeling it. But then she pulled a sneaky move!”

“What’s ‘ _sneaky’_?” you asked, more curious than angry at this point in the story.

“She cried!” Hansol exclaimed. “Like, real tears!”

“Oh, God, what did you do?”

“I didn’t do anything, I swear! It wasn’t on the spot, it was like fifteen minutes after I told her I didn’t want to dance with her. But I think she was drinking a lot, so she came up to me and literally _cried_ and asked me what was wrong with her and why I didn’t like her and I felt trapped! I really hate it when girls cry, so I chugged my drink and said I’d dance with her. That’s not even the worst part!”

“Pray tell, my good man,” you teased. You weren’t as angry at him anymore, more like amused because he deserevd this kind of hilarious misery, but that still didn’t excuse him from that kiss.

“She saw us! She saw us dancing together! It wasn’t any innocent dancing either, because that crying drunk girl was far from that, like she was getting _down and dirty_ and I was actually literally trapped. _And it gets even worse_ , she took Soon -,” Hansol paused abruptly and cleared his throat. It sounded like he was going to say Soonyoug, but he stopped himself. “She took some other guy on the dance floor and danced with him instead… And it wasn’t even the type of dancing you’d expect at a slum, college party. They danced like they were the only two people in the room, and that’s what hurt the most.”

“What did you do about it?”

“Regrettably, nothing. It was my fault for even agreeing to dance with the other girl, anyways, and once I saw her dancing and having a good time with someone else, I was so upset that I left her alone.”

“This is where I disagree with you,” you challenged. “I don’t understand why you didn’t stop her from dancing with him or ask her why she did that.”

“Because I messed up the moment I started dancing with the other girl!”

“No, Vernon! You didn’t mess up because you were being a good person by agreeing to dance with a crying girl! You messed up because you didn’t explain yourself to her! You really think the girl you like wasn’t going to understand the situation?”

“I don’t know! I’m scared, or something, ok?”

“Why are you scared?”

“Because I think I lost her already,” you heard Hansol sigh deeply on the other end. “Honey, what do I do? I’m seeing her later tonight and I don’t know if she’ll listen to me. She’s like, super pissed.”

“You’re lucky that she’s even agreeing to see you, so you better lay everything out on the table.”

“I’m going to get my ass chewed out.”

“Oh, most definitely. Well hey, I wish you the best of luck, Vernon. My last piece of advice for you tonight is to just be completely honest with her and show her what she means to you. I’m sure she’ll listen to you. And if it doesn’t work out tonight, Ahjooma’s Apron is open until 2 AM, so safely drown your sorrows in a bottle of soju!”

“Smooth slip of the advertisement. Thanks a lot, Honey. I really owe you one.”

“Owe it the show by calling in again if it works out. We’d love to hear about it.”

—

“And that wraps it up for tonight! Sorry we couldn’t get to many callers tonight, Vernon took up like, three callers,” you tisked. “It’s a warm Friday evening, so have fun tonight and be safe as always. This is Honey signing off.”

“Hurry up and make out with Hansol already so this whole Vernon thing can end,” Wonwoo groaned. “I can feel the life being drained from my body and it hurts.”

“Don’t you mean make _up_ with Hansol?”

“I know what I said.”

“Ugh, why is he calling literally right after we finish, he’s so weird.” You picked up your vibrating phone with Hansol’s cute picture on it. “Hello?”

“Hey, are you done? Can I see you now?” he asked eagerly.

“Yeah, I’m done. I’m not at the studio, though. I, uh, left early to go home.”

“Oh. Then can I come over?”

“Here!?” you screeched. “To my house?” Wonwoo immediately began to pack away all of the equipment.

“Is that a no?”

“No, no, you can come over! I just have to tidy up a bit…!”

“Ok, I’ll see you in ten.”

“Cool, ok bye!” you ended the call right away and helped Wonwoo pack up, carefully placing the fragile microphones on top of the carelessly-packed soundboards and equipment.

“How do I look?” you asked, smoothing away your obvious sweat pants and hoodie wrinkles…

“Like Cinderella.”

“Of course I do, now go!”

“Ok, but call me and tell me what happens! I’m dying to know.”

“You just said you didn’t want to listen to it anymore because you could feel your life being drained!”

“I’m dead on the inside, anyways, it’s fine. Good luck, _Honey_ ~!”

The next ten minutes felt like ten hours as you waited for your knight in shining armour who failed to mention that he kissed Hyejin. You prepared yourself for a repeat of the same story, which could take forever if he went into detail. Living this double life as you gave relationship advice to someone who was asking about you was getting really exhausting and you wondered if at this point it was even worth hiding your identity anymore.

Your doorbell rang at 10:13 PM on the dot. A shy Hansol smiled at you. Ugh, he’s so cute…

“Hey,” he smiled.

“Hi. Come in.”

“You look comfortable,” he commented after sitting in the spot you sat at while recording the show.

“And you look tired.”

“Yeah, I didn’t have much sleep last night.”

“I’m sure you had more than the two hours of sleep that I had.”

“Thankfully, I did.”

“So, why are you here?” you asked, not wasting any time. The show seemed longer than it was tonight and you wanted nothing more than to continue your hibernation in your room.

“I wanted to explain myself about last night. You know I was there early to set up, and I was waiting for you, but Hyejin didn’t let me wait. She and I were both drunk, and she was crying, and I just couldn’t say no, and that’s how we ended up together.”

“I don’t blame you for that. I’d think you’d be a pretty shitty guy if you just left her crying. My problem was when you saw me dancing with Soonyoung. You _saw_ me! You saw me see you! And you didn’t say anything.”

“I know, I just… Do you have any idea what I was thinking when I saw you dancing with him? Smiling, laughing, holding his hand?”

“No…” you hesitated.

“I was about to punch the birthday boy’s face,” Hansol stated sternly. “That was supposed to be me - _us_ dancing. I wanted to wait for you and be with you the entire night.”

“Then you should have came to me!”

“I know -”

“No, you don’t!” you cried out. “You stayed with her the whole night. That was your decision.”

“Just like it was your decision to dance with Soonyoung,” he challenged. “Why couldn’t you have come to me instead? Why was it my job to do so?”

“Hansol, everyone knows it’s easy for you to hook up with anyone, so do you think it’s easy for me to express my feelings for you, let alone _to_ you, when you’re dancing with a pretty girl who likes you as much as I do?”

“When has that ever come up?”

“When Hyejin talked about kissing you after you walked me home!”

“You know about that…?”

“Hyejin’s been calling and writing to the show for a while now. Do you know how annoying it is to give advice to someone who’s likes the same person as you? And to have to listen to their success story about it? She called in today and told us that you kissed her,” you could feel the pathetic tears well up in your eyes, either from lack of sleep or overwhelming emotion. “I feel like an idiot!”

“Wait, you give the advice? I thought Honey gave the advice?”

Oh, shit.

 _Oh, shit_ , what did you just do!?

“She does,” you sighed in defeat. “I am Honey.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The long-awaited ending to one of my favorite works. Thank you all again, for the love and support this fic has received. I can't wait to write more for Hansol in the future.
> 
> Here's a playlist I made! I made it on youtube because I didn't realize that Spotify didn't have like, half of the songs, lol. Please listen to it if you ever reread this series again.
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cz_D2nFVaXs&list=PLdXqjZ6H6PM-ae28gL4IFTccyLURL-Y2O

“You’re… You’re Honey…?” Hansol asked you slowly. For a moment, you couldn’t answer him. You simply stared at him. It was hard to read his expression, but it was an even mixture of disbelief and hurt.

“Yeah, I am,” you admitted. “I’m the one that answers the phone calls, I give the advice, and I know that you’re Vernon.”

“You know…?” he repeated. “I-I’ve said so much to Honey - to _you_! I opened up my entire heart for the world to hear and you knew it was me the entire time!?”

“Yes.”

“And you knew I talked about you every time I called.”

“Yes…”

“Unbelievable,” he muttered as he paced around your living room. He ran a finger through his messy curls and you could now clearly see the embarrassed blush that colored his face. He sighed loudly, and in a much calmer, softer voice, he said, “You knew that I liked you. You were the person that I confessed these feelings of doubt and sometimes even a sense of clarity to. But why did you still run away from me?”

“Because I knew at any moment either you or I was going to ruin whatever this was! And look, I just revealed to you my second life about me being a radio host and I found out you kissed another girl.”

“You barely gave me a chance! Let alone a chance to explain myself!” By now, Hansol was just as frustrated as you were, though you were past the point of holding in some tears and just allowed them to fall. “She kissed me, ok? And I know it’s hard to believe, but she could barely walk on her own two feet. So I took her home because do you really think any of those other guys were capable of doing so? I dropped her home and before I knew it, she kissed me goodnight.”

“You’re right, it is hard to believe. You told Honey all the time that you could get with anyone you wanted so easily. It’s even hard for me to believe it was just a kiss!”

“I like you!” he blurted out. He gave you this tired look that told you how much it hurt that you couldn’t believe him. “I like you _so much_. To the point that I can’t even _breathe_ properly around you. You take my breath away every time I see you, that’s how much I like you. When you helped tutor me, when you walk away from me angrily, even when you were dancing with Soonyoung, I couldn’t think straight because of you. I can’t - I wouldn’t just throw you away like that for a night with Hyejin.”

You felt like an idiot.

“We’ve both held some big lies, I get it,” he continued. “But I never once doubted my feelings for you. Only that one time because I knew you were too good for me.”

“Hansol -”

“And you know, what hurts the most is that you knew all of this and you did _nothing_. Do you not like me back…?”

“No! I… I like you,” you admitted. “A lot. I really, _really_ like you. I wouldn’t be acting this way if I didn’t.”

“Then why couldn’t you have told me!?”

“Do you know what it’s like when you fall for someone and you find out that they used you to get to something else? Five times I’ve had someone date me only so they could get closer to Honey. I wasted like two-three years of my life that way!”

“I’m sorry that you’re so famous,” he spat.

“That’s not what I meant -”

“No no, I get it. I’m sorry that your fame has handicapped you from being in a healthy relationship ever again.”

“Hansol…”

“I spilled everything out on the table when I called the show. And even then you still couldn’t believe me,” Hansol cried out in frustration. He shook his head in defeat and headed towards the door. “I’ll see you later.”

“Wait, Hansol -!” The door slammed shut before you could reach him. The tears, the quiet sobs, the heartbreak - it all flowed freely when you collapsed on the nearest seat. You buried your face in the pillows.

“Fuck,” you crused.

—

Days passed. Yes, days, and you cancelled every _Honey Time Radio_ show since. Your emails were blowing up with, ‘ _What happened!? Are you ok!?_ ’ and, ‘ _I’ve been slowly dying since you’re unannounced hiatus!_ ’ and a lot of, ‘ _Did you die?_ ’

You just couldn’t go on with the show until things would start to feel whole again. Even before Hansol came into your life, you said yourself last week that there was always a piece of you missing and you didn’t know what. As Hansol slowly began to become a part of your life, you thought that maybe that piece could be filled again, but you quickly ruined that opportunity and you were now back to square one, lying in your bed for several hours at a time, sulking under the covers.

“ _Yah_ ,” Wonwoo said as he chucked a pillow at you. “Get up.”

“No.”

“You can’t just sulk under your covers forever!”

“Watch me. And it’s way past my bed time, anyways.”

“_____,” he stated more sternly. “You have to get up and fix this.”

“Fix this how!?” you cried, burying your face deeper into your pillows. “There’s no going back. I already ruined everything!”

“You haven’t talked to each other since?”

You would have been lucky if you even just _saw_ him around campus. No matter where you looked - in his favorite restaurant, that one cafe you guys went to, the library - he was no where to be seen. It was obvious that he was avoiding you and as of right now, he wanted nothing to do with your problematic self.

“I haven’t seen him since last week.”

“Ok… And why aren’t you doing anything about it?”

“I tried! I’ve been looking for him everywhere!”

“You haven’t even texted him?”

“Something like this is way too serious! I can’t just text him like nothing happened.”

“It’s better than nothing.”

“Well, he hasn’t texted me, either…”

“You’re in the wrong here, _____, not him. He explained to you everything that happened that night - not only to you as Honey, but to you as _____.”

“Even so, I was supposed to just tell him I was Honey!?”

“You’re missing the point. Why is it that you both keep missing the point!?” he sighed. “Look at the bigger picture. It’s not that you didn’t tell him about Honey, it’s that even after all he’s confessed to you, and you knowing it was him the whole time, you never let him know you felt the same way.”

“I know that! I just… I’m scared, Wonwoo.”

“I know you are, but he doesn’t. You need to be transparent with each other. No more Honey, no more Hyejin, and no more bullshit as an excuse anymore.”

“Honey as an excuse…” you repeated back. Your eyes widened with a sudden realization. “I got it.”

“Got it? Got what? What are you doing this time?”

You jumped out from under your covers and threw on the nearest hoodie. “Wonwoo, we have to go to the studio.”

“What, you want to do a show tonight? It’s like, after midnight!”

“C’mon, please!”

“No!”

“I’m cashing in my favor from that one time I wing womaned for you!” you pouted. “You just admitted that I need to do something about this, and I am! Don’t go back on your word!”

“Fuck,” he cursed, throwing his head back stubbornly. “Fine! But only because all of the equipment is here at your place!”

“Why are you so persistent when it comes to Hansol and I, anyways?”

“Because… You guys are my one true pairing…”

“Oh, my God, shut up… And thank you.”

It didn’t take long for you and Wonwoo to do the same living room set up as you did last week. After wiping off the dust from all of the equipment, you turned to Wonwoo.

“Can you send out a notification on all of our social media and through the listserv?”

“So update everything, huh? Are you sure you really want to do this?”

“I need to make sure that Hansol is listening and I know that if I text him, he won’t.”

“Ugh, fine, just give me a couple of minutes, It takes a while.”

You waited impatiently for Wonwoo to send out to the city that you were doing a surprise show right now. When the listener count was high enough, you were ready to begin your unplanned show.

You cleared your throat and tried to ease your nerves. “3… 2… 1… Good evening, everyone, and thanks for listening to _Honey Time Radio_. Or should I say good morning? Aha, Ijust kidding. I’m just trying to lighten up the mood as I apologize. I’m clearly not good with those,” you joked half-heartedly. “Before we continue with tonight’s show, I’d just like to point out that tonight’s show is completely unscripted. Normally, Dj Wonwoo and I would meet up to discuss our topics for that show, but tonight, we literally just set everything up in my living room and here we are, talking to our favorite people.

“Anyways, back to the main point, we’re sorry for suddenly disappearing on everyone for the past week. It was because of me. I’ve just had a lot on my mind lately and I’ve been really holding everything in like it didn’t bother me. Well, let me tell you all, that is absolutely that last thing you want to be doing with your emotions. You should be expressing how you feel any chance that you can get. It could be the simple things, like smiling when you’re happy or crying when you’re sad. But I know sometimes it’s not that easy.

“For a while, I couldn’t talk about how I was feeling. I couldn’t even tell Wonwoo about it. You all have trusted me enough to tell me how you feel, and now I want to reciprocate,” you emphasized, hoping that Hansol was listening. “I’ve been feeling like I’m pretending to be someone I’m not - a lot like how our favorite caller, Vernon, was feeling the very first time he called the show. And to tell you the truth, I have been pretending. So I think it’s time to tell you all who I really am.”

Wonwoo looked at you with wide eyes and mouthed, ‘ _What are you doing!?_ ’

“Hey, guys. My name is _____, also known as Honey. I like ramyun, cats, beer, and lately I’ve been sad because I couldn’t open my heart to someone who opened theirs up to me. I’ve been hiding behind Honey for so long that I forgot what it’s like to feel free! Like, making new friends, making mistakes! And even falling in love.” You sighed dreamily and you could feel tears of happiness and longing well up in your eyes. “It feels really good to reveal myself. Some of you may know who I am, and some of you have no idea, but I graciously ask you all to accept me as Honey.

“Sadly, I will no be taking any callers tonight. This is all I wanted to talk about. I hope you all understand and still love me, and more importantly the show, for what it truly is. One last thing - I’d like to dedicate this pop-up show to someone who taught me that it’s ok to let my walls down sometimes and I should let the people I care about come into my life,” You immediately thought about Hansol as you said that. “So here’s me letting my walls down because I care about every single one of you. And that’s the end of the show! I will see you all soon, I promise. Thanks for listening. This is _____, aka Honey, signing off.”

There was a short moment of silence in the room as Wonwoo can’t believe that you just gave your identity away so easily. But at this point, you were desperate to get Hansol’s attention, and it was the only thiing left you could think of.

“Jesus, I can’t believe you did that!” he shrieked.

“Me either. My heart is racing.”

“So are you just going to wait for Hansol?”

“Yeah,” you sighed. “Hopefully that’ll get his attention…”

“If it doesn’t, I don’t know what will.”

“Go home, you must be tired. I’ll let you know if anything happens.”

“Yeah, I’m exhausted. I’ll leave the cleaning up to you. See you in the morning,” Wonwoo ruffled your hair before he gathered his stuff to leave.

You were way too anxious to go to sleep as you waited by your phone for any type of indication that Hansol heard you tonight. It felt like the walls of your apartment were caving in and you couldn’t breathe properly with each passing second. The waiting was torturous and at this point, you weren’t sure if it was anxiety or panic that was rising in your chest.

“I need to get out of here,” you muttered to yourself as you threw on whatever was near you to go outside.

When you opened your front door, you saw an equally-anxious Hansol pacing at the end of your walkway. He hadn’t noticed that you were watching him yet. It looked like he was rehearsing something. But the mere sight of Hansol lifted up all sense of worry from your body.

“Hansol?” you called out to him.

Startled, he turned to you and scratches the back of his head sheepishly. “U-Uh, hey! H-How long have you been there…?”

“A couple of minutes,” you chuckled. “What are you doing here?”

“I listened to your show.”

“Oh, you did? Thank God, I thought you would have ignored all the notifications.”

“Why?”

“Because I did that show for you.”

“For me? You revealed yourself for me?”

“Yeah. Look, I know I’m not really good with expressing my words or my emotions or anything at all really, and I just… couldn’t lose you like that. That was my version of an apology,” you sighed. Slowly, you and Hansol made your way to each other as you talked. “I’m really sorry that I couldn’t just go with the flow and just like you without any doubt you just liked me for Honey. Hansol, I really like you. I mean it. I’ve been closing myself off to you because the idea of you liking me because of Honey hurt so much. I wanted you to like me _for me_ , you know? You poured your heart out to me as Vernon, and the least I could do was pour my heart out to you and to everyone else as _____.”

You looked at Hansol through your blurry, tear-filled vision and saw his gummy grin shining at you. He looked so radiant when he smiled this way. You hope that was a sign he forgave you. 

“Why are you looking at me like that?” you pouted.

Without an answer, Hansol cupped your cheeks in his hands and pulled you in for the sweetest kiss. After dreaming about kissing him for so long, the feeling of his lips against yours felt unreal. His lips were soft as they gently moved against yours to deepen the kiss. When he pulled away, he tucked loose strands of your messy hair behind your ears so he could plant small kisses on your forehead.

“I’ve waited for so long to kiss you,” he whispered.

“So you forgive me?”

“As long as you forgive me for kissing someone else.”

“As long as you tell her you like me instead,” you proposed as you wrapped your arms around his waist.

“Deal.” Your wide grin was so embarrassing that you had to bury your face into his chest. “You’re so cute when you’re like this ~”

“I’m only like this for you.”

“So, what are we exactly?” he teased some more.

“Really? You’re pulling the ‘ _what are we_ ’ card?”

“One of us has to.”

“Well, I don’t know. What do you want us to be?”

“You’re going to make me ask you, huh?”

“Yes, that’s how this works.”

“Ok, fine ~ Will you be my girlfriend?”

“Maybe.” Hansol pinched your sides as punishment. “Ow, ok, I’m kidding! A million times yes.”

—

EPILOGUE

“Good evening, everyone! _Honey Time Radio_ is back on its normal schedule, so expect the show to run normally from now on. My name is _____ aka Honey with Dj Wonwoo and today is a very special show! That’s right, folks, today we have our very first guest here in the studio with us today, and you’ll never guess who it is. Can you please introduce yourself.”

“Hey, guys,” Hansol said into the microphone. “It’s me, Vernon.”

“Isn’t that crazy! I got Vernon to be on the show with us! He’ll be teling us the long-awaited happy ending to his fairytail story tonight, but before that, we’d love to take some callers who want to ask him any questions about his relationship or any advice or anything at all, really. Tonight is _Vernon Time Radio_ , so please ask away, everyone. Caller on line twelve, what can Vernon do for you?”

“Oh, my God, is it really you!? Vernon!?” a fan screamed.

“Ah, yeah,” he replied with a chuckle. “What’s up?”

“This is crazy and so romantic! Can you tell us how you and her first met?”

Hansol looked at you with teasing smile and winked at you. “I met her my freshman year during orientation…”


End file.
